diff --git a/drivers/ide/ide-io.c b/drivers/ide/ide-io.c
index 0f3e2f4f9c2c1c25ccda12baa4feee5d68c9d9c8..513a5685db2f6c4374437681a0a0999ff9a0e7e1 100644
--- a/drivers/ide/ide-io.c
+++ b/drivers/ide/ide-io.c
@@ -640,7 +640,6 @@ static ide_startstop_t drive_cmd_intr (ide_drive_t *drive)
 	ide_hwif_t *hwif = HWIF(drive);
 	u8 *args = (u8 *) rq->buffer;
 	u8 stat = hwif->INB(IDE_STATUS_REG);
-	int retries = 10;
 
 	local_irq_enable_in_hardirq();
 	if (rq->cmd_type == REQ_TYPE_ATA_CMD &&
@@ -649,8 +648,7 @@ static ide_startstop_t drive_cmd_intr (ide_drive_t *drive)
 		drive->io_32bit = 0;
 		hwif->ata_input_data(drive, &args[4], args[3] * SECTOR_WORDS);
 		drive->io_32bit = io_32bit;
-		while (((stat = hwif->INB(IDE_STATUS_REG)) & BUSY_STAT) && retries--)
-			udelay(100);
+		stat = wait_drive_not_busy(drive);
 	}
 
 	if (!OK_STAT(stat, READY_STAT, BAD_STAT))
diff --git a/drivers/ide/ide-taskfile.c b/drivers/ide/ide-taskfile.c
index c34836c02b14ac0fc74a4e369511d5aadf4e07e6..b559bece6e73ea9d49925d142d453ea0912eba62 100644
--- a/drivers/ide/ide-taskfile.c
+++ b/drivers/ide/ide-taskfile.c
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ static ide_startstop_t task_no_data_intr(ide_drive_t *drive)
 	return ide_stopped;
 }
 
-static u8 wait_drive_not_busy(ide_drive_t *drive)
+u8 wait_drive_not_busy(ide_drive_t *drive)
 {
 	ide_hwif_t *hwif = HWIF(drive);
 	int retries;
@@ -268,8 +268,7 @@ static u8 wait_drive_not_busy(ide_drive_t *drive)
 
 	/*
 	 * Last sector was transfered, wait until drive is ready.
-	 * This can take up to 10 usec, but we will wait max 1 ms
-	 * (drive_cmd_intr() waits that long).
+	 * This can take up to 10 usec, but we will wait max 1 ms.
 	 */
 	for (retries = 0; retries < 100; retries++) {
 		if ((stat = hwif->INB(IDE_STATUS_REG)) & BUSY_STAT)
diff --git a/include/linux/ide.h b/include/linux/ide.h
index 7615a6244a5100114c9eb3cf69d29ea81a6b83df..c889a6e91c5c65db0f16ed6d6750a18850090490 100644
--- a/include/linux/ide.h
+++ b/include/linux/ide.h
@@ -994,6 +994,8 @@ ide_startstop_t do_rw_taskfile(ide_drive_t *, ide_task_t *);
 
 void task_end_request(ide_drive_t *, struct request *, u8);
 
+u8 wait_drive_not_busy(ide_drive_t *);
+
 int ide_raw_taskfile(ide_drive_t *, ide_task_t *, u8 *, u16);
 int ide_no_data_taskfile(ide_drive_t *, ide_task_t *);