diff --git a/lib/connect.c b/lib/connect.c
index b952d85e86e8e9ee08c94c8c411782b58a8bd11b..af98242c5250456ac40615a44e1bce13bba70b58 100644
--- a/lib/connect.c
+++ b/lib/connect.c
@@ -88,9 +88,9 @@ int geterrno(void)
  * Description:
  *  Set the socket to either blocking or non-blocking mode.
  */
-static
-int nonblock(int socket,    /* operate on this */
-             int nonblock   /* TRUE or FALSE */)
+
+int Curl_nonblock(int socket,    /* operate on this */
+                  int nonblock   /* TRUE or FALSE */)
 {
 #undef SETBLOCK
 #ifdef HAVE_O_NONBLOCK
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ CURLcode Curl_connecthost(struct connectdata *conn,  /* context */
         continue;
 
       /* set socket non-blocking */
-      nonblock(sockfd, TRUE);
+      Curl_nonblock(sockfd, TRUE);
 
       rc = connect(sockfd, ai->ai_addr, ai->ai_addrlen);
 
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ CURLcode Curl_connecthost(struct connectdata *conn,  /* context */
     }
 
     /* now disable the non-blocking mode again */
-    nonblock(sockfd, FALSE);
+    Curl_nonblock(sockfd, FALSE);
 
     if(addr)
       *addr = ai; /* the address we ended up connected to */
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ CURLcode Curl_connecthost(struct connectdata *conn,  /* context */
   }
 
   /* Convert socket to non-blocking type */
-  nonblock(sockfd, TRUE);
+  Curl_nonblock(sockfd, TRUE);
 
   /* This is the loop that attempts to connect to all IP-addresses we
      know for the given host. One by one. */
@@ -546,7 +546,7 @@ CURLcode Curl_connecthost(struct connectdata *conn,  /* context */
   }
   
   /* now disable the non-blocking mode again */
-  nonblock(sockfd, FALSE);
+  Curl_nonblock(sockfd, FALSE);
 
   if(addr)
     /* this is the address we've connected to */
diff --git a/lib/connect.h b/lib/connect.h
index 8c5fac508a102e9ba909c5670c6e16d7a7384fb6..8d36365e549602da33f8160ee66c4242c4060fab 100644
--- a/lib/connect.h
+++ b/lib/connect.h
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@
  * $Id$
  *****************************************************************************/
 
+int Curl_nonblock(int socket,    /* operate on this */
+                  int nonblock   /* TRUE or FALSE */);
+
 CURLcode Curl_connecthost(struct connectdata *conn,
                           Curl_addrinfo *host, /* connect to this */
                           long port,      /* connect to this port number */
diff --git a/lib/url.c b/lib/url.c
index bd01136d8dab20021b9996b995869b9f5ed89086..b11d33aac22ecda495e45c13ccfd09c27e5c7c37 100644
--- a/lib/url.c
+++ b/lib/url.c
@@ -955,8 +955,27 @@ static bool SocketIsDead(struct connectdata *conn, int sock)
 #ifdef USE_SSLEAY
     /* the socket seems fine, but is the SSL later fine too? */
     if(conn->ssl.use) {
-      if(SSL_get_shutdown(conn->ssl.handle))
-        return TRUE; /* this connection is dead! */
+      int peek;
+      int error;
+      Curl_nonblock(sock, TRUE);
+
+      peek = SSL_peek(conn->ssl.handle,
+                      conn->data->state.buffer, BUFSIZE);
+
+      infof(conn->data, "SSL_peek returned %d\n", peek);
+
+      if(-1 == peek) {
+        error = SSL_get_error(conn->ssl.handle, peek);
+        infof(conn->data, "SSL_error returned %d\n", error);
+        
+        if(SSL_ERROR_WANT_READ != error)
+          ret_val = TRUE;
+      }
+      else
+        /* peek did not return -1 */
+        ret_val = TRUE;
+      
+      Curl_nonblock(sock, FALSE);      
     }
 #endif
   }