diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/ping/unicast/UnicastZenPing.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/ping/unicast/UnicastZenPing.java
index b3ed0a9ba05..0c9a7751e0c 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/ping/unicast/UnicastZenPing.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/ping/unicast/UnicastZenPing.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.ElasticSearchIllegalArgumentException;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterName;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNode;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNodes;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Lists;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.component.AbstractLifecycleComponent;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
@@ -177,16 +178,21 @@ public class UnicastZenPing extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<ZenPing> implemen
     @Override public void ping(final PingListener listener, final TimeValue timeout) throws ElasticSearchException {
         final SendPingsHandler sendPingsHandler = new SendPingsHandler(pingIdGenerator.incrementAndGet());
         receivedResponses.put(sendPingsHandler.id(), new ConcurrentHashMap<DiscoveryNode, PingResponse>());
-        sendPings(timeout, false, sendPingsHandler);
-        threadPool.schedule(timeout, ThreadPool.Names.CACHED, new Runnable() {
+        sendPings(timeout, null, sendPingsHandler);
+        threadPool.schedule(TimeValue.timeValueMillis(timeout.millis() / 2), ThreadPool.Names.CACHED, new Runnable() {
             @Override public void run() {
-                sendPings(timeout, true, sendPingsHandler);
-                for (DiscoveryNode node : sendPingsHandler.nodeToDisconnect) {
-                    transportService.disconnectFromNode(node);
-                }
-                ConcurrentMap<DiscoveryNode, PingResponse> responses = receivedResponses.remove(sendPingsHandler.id());
-                sendPingsHandler.close();
-                listener.onPing(responses.values().toArray(new PingResponse[responses.size()]));
+                sendPings(timeout, null, sendPingsHandler);
+                threadPool.schedule(TimeValue.timeValueMillis(timeout.millis() / 2), ThreadPool.Names.CACHED, new Runnable() {
+                    @Override public void run() {
+                        sendPings(timeout, TimeValue.timeValueMillis(timeout.millis() / 2), sendPingsHandler);
+                        ConcurrentMap<DiscoveryNode, PingResponse> responses = receivedResponses.remove(sendPingsHandler.id());
+                        listener.onPing(responses.values().toArray(new PingResponse[responses.size()]));
+                        for (DiscoveryNode node : sendPingsHandler.nodeToDisconnect) {
+                            transportService.disconnectFromNode(node);
+                        }
+                        sendPingsHandler.close();
+                    }
+                });
             }
         });
     }
@@ -227,7 +233,7 @@ public class UnicastZenPing extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<ZenPing> implemen
         }
     }
 
-    void sendPings(final TimeValue timeout, boolean wait, final SendPingsHandler sendPingsHandler) {
+    void sendPings(final TimeValue timeout, @Nullable TimeValue waitTime, final SendPingsHandler sendPingsHandler) {
         final UnicastPingRequest pingRequest = new UnicastPingRequest();
         pingRequest.id = sendPingsHandler.id();
         pingRequest.timeout = timeout;
@@ -281,9 +287,9 @@ public class UnicastZenPing extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<ZenPing> implemen
                 sendPingRequestToNode(sendPingsHandler.id(), timeout, pingRequest, latch, node, nodeToSend);
             }
         }
-        if (wait) {
+        if (waitTime != null) {
             try {
-                latch.await(timeout.millis() * 5, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+                latch.await(waitTime.millis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
             } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                 // ignore
             }