diff --git a/lib/pacer/pacer.go b/lib/pacer/pacer.go
index 357ff7d49..fce47bc1f 100644
--- a/lib/pacer/pacer.go
+++ b/lib/pacer/pacer.go
@@ -159,18 +159,24 @@ func (p *Pacer) beginCall(limitConnections bool) {
 	// XXX ms later we put another in.  We could do this with a
 	// Ticker more accurately, but then we'd have to work out how
 	// not to run it when it wasn't needed
-	<-p.pacer
+
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	sleepTime := p.state.SleepTime
+	p.mu.Unlock()
+
+	if sleepTime > 0 {
+		<-p.pacer
+
+		// Restart the timer
+		go func(t time.Duration) {
+			time.Sleep(t)
+			p.pacer <- struct{}{}
+		}(sleepTime)
+	}
+
 	if limitConnections {
 		<-p.connTokens
 	}
-
-	p.mu.Lock()
-	// Restart the timer
-	go func(t time.Duration) {
-		time.Sleep(t)
-		p.pacer <- struct{}{}
-	}(p.state.SleepTime)
-	p.mu.Unlock()
 }
 
 // endCall implements the pacing algorithm
diff --git a/lib/pacer/pacer_test.go b/lib/pacer/pacer_test.go
index 5c5bbd298..e34a406aa 100644
--- a/lib/pacer/pacer_test.go
+++ b/lib/pacer/pacer_test.go
@@ -367,6 +367,43 @@ func TestCallMaxConnectionsRecursiveDeadlock(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, errFoo, err)
 }
 
+func TestCallMaxConnectionsRecursiveDeadlock2(t *testing.T) {
+	p := New(CalculatorOption(NewDefault(MinSleep(1*time.Millisecond), MaxSleep(2*time.Millisecond))))
+	p.SetMaxConnections(1)
+	dp := &dummyPaced{retry: false}
+	wg := new(sync.WaitGroup)
+
+	// Normal
+	for range 100 {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			err := p.Call(func() (bool, error) {
+				// check we have taken the connection token
+				assert.Equal(t, 0, len(p.connTokens))
+				return false, nil
+			})
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+		}()
+
+		// Now attempt a recursive call
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			err := p.Call(func() (bool, error) {
+				// check we have taken the connection token
+				assert.Equal(t, 0, len(p.connTokens))
+				// Do recursive call
+				return false, p.Call(dp.fn)
+			})
+			assert.Equal(t, errFoo, err)
+		}()
+	}
+
+	// Tidy up
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
 func TestRetryAfterError_NonNilErr(t *testing.T) {
 	orig := errors.New("test failure")
 	dur := 2 * time.Second