diff --git a/lib/_stream_readable.js b/lib/_stream_readable.js
index f57be90fcc5..ee2db017476 100644
--- a/lib/_stream_readable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_readable.js
@@ -271,9 +271,7 @@ function onread(stream, er, chunk) {
   if (er)
     return stream.emit('error', er);
 
-  if (chunk === null ||
-      chunk === undefined ||
-      (!state.objectMode && !chunk.length)) {
+  if (chunk === null || chunk === undefined) {
     // eof
     state.ended = true;
     if (state.decoder) {
@@ -296,11 +294,20 @@ function onread(stream, er, chunk) {
   if (state.decoder)
     chunk = state.decoder.write(chunk);
 
+  // at this point, if we got a zero-length buffer or string,
+  // and we're not in object-mode, then there's really no point
+  // continuing.  it means that there is nothing to read right
+  // now, but as we have not received the EOF-signaling null,
+  // we're not ended.  we've already unset the reading flag,
+  // so just get out of here.
+  if (!state.objectMode &&
+      (chunk || typeof chunk === 'string') &&
+      0 === chunk.length)
+    return;
+
   // update the buffer info.
-  if (chunk || (state.objectMode && chunk !== undefined && chunk !== null)) {
-    state.length += state.objectMode ? 1 : chunk.length;
-    state.buffer.push(chunk);
-  }
+  state.length += state.objectMode ? 1 : chunk.length;
+  state.buffer.push(chunk);
 
   // if we haven't gotten enough to pass the lowWaterMark,
   // and we haven't ended, then don't bother telling the user
diff --git a/test/simple/test-stream2-readable-empty-buffer-no-eof.js b/test/simple/test-stream2-readable-empty-buffer-no-eof.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..18d45966c07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-stream2-readable-empty-buffer-no-eof.js
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+// Copyright Joyent, Inc. and other Node contributors.
+//
+// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
+// copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
+// "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
+// without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
+// distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit
+// persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the
+// following conditions:
+//
+// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
+// in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+//
+// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
+// OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
+// MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN
+// NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
+// DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
+// OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
+// USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+
+var common = require('../common');
+var assert = require('assert');
+
+var Readable = require('stream').Readable;
+
+var r = new Readable();
+
+// should not end when we get a Buffer(0) or '' as the _read result
+// that just means that there is *temporarily* no data, but to go
+// ahead and try again later.
+//
+// note that this is very unusual.  it only works for crypto streams
+// because the other side of the stream will call read(0) to cycle
+// data through openssl.  that's why we set the timeouts to call
+// r.read(0) again later, otherwise there is no more work being done
+// and the process just exits.
+
+var buf = new Buffer(5);
+buf.fill('x');
+var reads = 5;
+r._read = function(n, cb) {
+  switch (reads--) {
+    case 0:
+      return cb(null, null); // EOF
+    case 1:
+      return cb(null, buf);
+    case 2:
+      setTimeout(r.read.bind(r, 0), 10);
+      return cb(null, new Buffer(0)); // Not-EOF!
+    case 3:
+      setTimeout(r.read.bind(r, 0), 10);
+      return process.nextTick(function() {
+        return cb(null, new Buffer(0));
+      });
+    case 4:
+      setTimeout(r.read.bind(r, 0), 10);
+      return setTimeout(function() {
+        return cb(null, new Buffer(0));
+      });
+    case 5:
+      return setTimeout(function() {
+        return cb(null, buf);
+      });
+    default:
+      throw new Error('unreachable');
+  }
+};
+
+var results = [];
+function flow() {
+  var chunk;
+  while (null !== (chunk = r.read()))
+    results.push(chunk + '');
+}
+r.on('readable', flow);
+r.on('end', function() {
+  results.push('EOF');
+});
+flow();
+
+process.on('exit', function() {
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [ 'xxxxx', 'xxxxx', 'EOF' ]);
+  console.log('ok');
+});