diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/FSMTimingSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/FSMTimingSpec.scala
index 094bd4f196..df255f619f 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/FSMTimingSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/FSMTimingSpec.scala
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@
 
 package akka.actor
 
-import akka.testkit.{ AkkaSpec, ImplicitSender }
+import akka.testkit._
 import akka.util.Duration
 import akka.util.duration._
+import akka.event.Logging
 
 @org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
 class FSMTimingSpec extends AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender {
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ class FSMTimingSpec extends AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender {
 
   val fsm = actorOf(new StateMachine(testActor))
   fsm ! SubscribeTransitionCallBack(testActor)
-  expectMsg(200 millis, CurrentState(fsm, Initial))
+  expectMsg(1 second, CurrentState(fsm, Initial))
 
   ignoreMsg {
     case Transition(_, Initial, _) ⇒ true
@@ -24,8 +25,20 @@ class FSMTimingSpec extends AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender {
   "A Finite State Machine" must {
 
     "receive StateTimeout" in {
-      within(50 millis, 250 millis) {
+      within(1 second) {
+        within(500 millis, 1 second) {
+          fsm ! TestStateTimeout
+          expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestStateTimeout, Initial))
+        }
+        expectNoMsg
+      }
+    }
+
+    "cancel a StateTimeout" in {
+      within(1 second) {
         fsm ! TestStateTimeout
+        fsm ! Cancel
+        expectMsg(Cancel)
         expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestStateTimeout, Initial))
         expectNoMsg
       }
@@ -36,7 +49,7 @@ class FSMTimingSpec extends AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender {
         fsm ! TestStateTimeoutOverride
         expectNoMsg
       }
-      within(50 millis) {
+      within(500 millis) {
         fsm ! Cancel
         expectMsg(Cancel)
         expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestStateTimeout, Initial))
@@ -44,70 +57,70 @@ class FSMTimingSpec extends AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender {
     }
 
     "receive single-shot timer" in {
-      within(50 millis, 250 millis) {
-        fsm ! TestSingleTimer
-        expectMsg(Tick)
-        expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestSingleTimer, Initial))
+      within(1.5 seconds) {
+        within(500 millis, 1 second) {
+          fsm ! TestSingleTimer
+          expectMsg(Tick)
+          expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestSingleTimer, Initial))
+        }
         expectNoMsg
       }
     }
 
     "correctly cancel a named timer" in {
       fsm ! TestCancelTimer
-      within(100 millis, 200 millis) {
+      within(500 millis) {
         fsm ! Tick
         expectMsg(Tick)
+      }
+      within(300 millis, 1 second) {
         expectMsg(Tock)
       }
       fsm ! Cancel
-      expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestCancelTimer, Initial))
+      expectMsg(1 second, Transition(fsm, TestCancelTimer, Initial))
     }
 
     "not get confused between named and state timers" in {
       fsm ! TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage
       fsm ! Tick
-      expectMsg(100 millis, Tick)
-      Thread.sleep(200)
+      expectMsg(500 millis, Tick)
+      Thread.sleep(200) // this is ugly: need to wait for StateTimeout to be queued
       resume(fsm)
-      expectMsg(100 millis, Transition(fsm, TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage, TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage2))
+      expectMsg(500 millis, Transition(fsm, TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage, TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage2))
       fsm ! Cancel
-      within(100 millis) {
-        expectMsg(Cancel)
+      within(500 millis) {
+        expectMsg(Cancel) // if this is not received, that means StateTimeout was not properly discarded
         expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage2, Initial))
       }
     }
 
     "receive and cancel a repeated timer" in {
       fsm ! TestRepeatedTimer
-      val seq = receiveWhile(600 millis) {
+      val seq = receiveWhile(1 second) {
         case Tick ⇒ Tick
       }
-      seq must have length (5)
-      within(250 millis) {
+      seq must have length 5
+      within(500 millis) {
         expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestRepeatedTimer, Initial))
-        expectNoMsg
       }
     }
 
     "notify unhandled messages" in {
-      fsm ! TestUnhandled
-      within(200 millis) {
-        fsm ! Tick
-        expectNoMsg
-      }
-      within(200 millis) {
-        fsm ! SetHandler
-        fsm ! Tick
-        expectMsg(Unhandled(Tick))
-        expectNoMsg
-      }
-      within(200 millis) {
-        fsm ! Unhandled("test")
-        expectNoMsg
-      }
-      within(200 millis) {
-        fsm ! Cancel
-        expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestUnhandled, Initial))
+      filterEvents(EventFilter.custom {
+        case Logging.Warning(`fsm`, "unhandled event Tick in state TestUnhandled") ⇒ true
+        case Logging.Warning(`fsm`, "unhandled event Unhandled(test) in state TestUnhandled") ⇒ true
+        case _ ⇒ false
+      }) {
+        fsm ! TestUnhandled
+        within(1 second) {
+          fsm ! Tick
+          fsm ! SetHandler
+          fsm ! Tick
+          expectMsg(Unhandled(Tick))
+          fsm ! Unhandled("test")
+          fsm ! Cancel
+          expectMsg(Transition(fsm, TestUnhandled, Initial))
+        }
       }
     }
 
@@ -151,7 +164,7 @@ object FSMTimingSpec {
     startWith(Initial, 0)
     when(Initial) {
       case Ev(TestSingleTimer) ⇒
-        setTimer("tester", Tick, 100 millis, false)
+        setTimer("tester", Tick, 500 millis, false)
         goto(TestSingleTimer)
       case Ev(TestRepeatedTimer) ⇒
         setTimer("tester", Tick, 100 millis, true)
@@ -160,7 +173,7 @@ object FSMTimingSpec {
         goto(TestStateTimeout) forMax (Duration.Inf)
       case Ev(x: FSMTimingSpec.State) ⇒ goto(x)
     }
-    when(TestStateTimeout, stateTimeout = 100 millis) {
+    when(TestStateTimeout, stateTimeout = 500 millis) {
       case Ev(StateTimeout) ⇒ goto(Initial)
       case Ev(Cancel)       ⇒ goto(Initial) replying (Cancel)
     }
@@ -173,9 +186,9 @@ object FSMTimingSpec {
       case Ev(Tick) ⇒
         tester ! Tick
         setTimer("hallo", Tock, 1 milli, false)
-        Thread.sleep(10);
+        TestKit.awaitCond(context.hasMessages, 1 second)
         cancelTimer("hallo")
-        setTimer("hallo", Tock, 100 millis, false)
+        setTimer("hallo", Tock, 500 millis, false)
         stay
       case Ev(Tock) ⇒
         tester ! Tock
@@ -195,11 +208,12 @@ object FSMTimingSpec {
         }
     }
     when(TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage) {
-      // FSM is suspended after processing this message and resumed 200ms later
+      // FSM is suspended after processing this message and resumed 500ms later
       case Ev(Tick) ⇒
         suspend(self)
-        setTimer("named", Tock, 10 millis, false)
-        stay forMax (100 millis) replying Tick
+        setTimer("named", Tock, 1 millis, false)
+        TestKit.awaitCond(context.hasMessages, 1 second)
+        stay forMax (1 millis) replying Tick
       case Ev(Tock) ⇒
         goto(TestCancelStateTimerInNamedTimerMessage2)
     }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
index 180cbe5df7..b04791a6b7 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ private[akka] trait ActorContext extends ActorRefFactory with TypedActorFactory
 
   def self: ActorRef with ScalaActorRef
 
+  def hasMessages: Boolean
+
   def receiveTimeout: Option[Long]
 
   def receiveTimeout_=(timeout: Option[Long]): Unit
@@ -95,6 +97,8 @@ private[akka] class ActorCell(
   @volatile //This must be volatile since it isn't protected by the mailbox status
   var mailbox: Mailbox = _
 
+  def hasMessages: Boolean = mailbox.hasMessages
+
   def start(): Unit = {
     mailbox = dispatcher.createMailbox(this)
 
diff --git a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/TestKit.scala b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/TestKit.scala
index 1f4f0d680e..cb788a66d1 100644
--- a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/TestKit.scala
+++ b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/TestKit.scala
@@ -555,6 +555,36 @@ class TestKit(_app: AkkaApplication) {
 
 object TestKit {
   private[testkit] val testActorId = new AtomicInteger(0)
+
+  /**
+   * Block until the given condition evaluates to `true` or the timeout
+   * expires, whichever comes first.
+   *
+   * If no timeout is given, take it from the innermost enclosing `within`
+   * block.
+   *
+   * Note that the timeout is scaled using Duration.timeFactor.
+   */
+  def awaitCond(p: ⇒ Boolean, max: Duration, interval: Duration = 100.millis) {
+    val stop = now + max
+
+    @tailrec
+    def poll(t: Duration) {
+      if (!p) {
+        assert(now < stop, "timeout " + max + " expired")
+        Thread.sleep(t.toMillis)
+        poll((stop - now) min interval)
+      }
+    }
+
+    poll(max min interval)
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Obtain current timestamp as Duration for relative measurements (using System.nanoTime).
+   */
+  def now: Duration = System.nanoTime().nanos
+
 }
 
 /**