diff --git a/src/ca/cac.cpp b/src/ca/cac.cpp
index 108608e63..18b537897 100644
--- a/src/ca/cac.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/cac.cpp
@@ -299,27 +299,15 @@ void cac::processRecvBacklog ()
         while ( piiu.valid () ) {
             tsDLIterBD < tcpiiu > pNext = piiu;
             pNext++;
-
             if ( ! piiu->alive () ) {
-                assert ( this->pudpiiu && this->pSearchTmr );
-
-                piiu->getBHE().unbindFromIIU ();
-
                 if ( piiu->channelCount () ) {
                     char hostNameTmp[64];
                     piiu->hostName ( hostNameTmp, sizeof ( hostNameTmp ) );
                     genLocalExcep ( *this, ECA_DISCONN, hostNameTmp );
                 }
-
+                piiu->getBHE().unbindFromIIU ();
+                assert ( this->pudpiiu );
                 piiu->disconnectAllChan ( *this->pudpiiu );
-
-                // make certain that:
-                // 1) this is called from the appropriate thread
-                // 2) lock is not held while in call back
-                if ( ! this->enablePreemptiveCallback ) {
-                    epicsAutoMutexRelease autoRelease ( this->mutex );
-                    this->notify.fdWasDestroyed ( piiu->getSock() );
-                }
                 this->iiuList.remove ( *piiu );
                 deadIIU.add ( *piiu ); // postpone destroy and avoid deadlock
             }
@@ -333,7 +321,6 @@ void cac::processRecvBacklog ()
                 }
                 piiu->processIncoming ();
             }
-
             piiu = pNext;
 	    }
     }
@@ -341,9 +328,16 @@ void cac::processRecvBacklog ()
         {
             epicsAutoMutex autoRelease ( this->mutex );
             while ( tcpiiu *piiu = deadIIU.get() ) {
+                // make certain that:
+                // 1) this is called from the appropriate thread
+                // 2) lock is not held while in call back
+                if ( ! this->enablePreemptiveCallback ) {
+                    this->notify.fdWasDestroyed ( piiu->getSock() );
+                }
                 piiu->destroy ();
             }
         }
+        assert ( this->pSearchTmr );
         this->pSearchTmr->resetPeriod ( 0.0 );
     }
 }
@@ -687,27 +681,14 @@ void cac::startRecvProcessThread ()
 void cac::run ()
 {
     epicsAutoMutex autoMutex ( this->mutex );
-
     this->attachToClientCtx ();
-
     while ( ! this->recvProcessThreadExitRequest ) {
-
-        {
-            if ( this->recvProcessEnableRefCount ) {
-                this->recvProcessInProgress = true;
-            }
-        }
-
-        if ( this->recvProcessInProgress ) {
+        if ( this->recvProcessEnableRefCount ) {
+            this->recvProcessInProgress = true;
             this->processRecvBacklog ();
-        }
-
-        bool signalNeeded;
-        {
             this->recvProcessInProgress = false;
-            signalNeeded = this->recvProcessCompletionNBlockers > 0u;
         }
-        
+        bool signalNeeded = this->recvProcessCompletionNBlockers > 0u;
         {
             epicsAutoMutexRelease autoRelease ( this->mutex );
             if ( signalNeeded ) {
diff --git a/src/ca/cac.h b/src/ca/cac.h
index 9b593ea8e..306aed46b 100644
--- a/src/ca/cac.h
+++ b/src/ca/cac.h
@@ -295,11 +295,13 @@ inline void cac::attachToClientCtx ()
 
 inline char * cac::allocateSmallBufferTCP ()
 {
+    // this locks internally
     return ( char * ) freeListMalloc ( this->tcpSmallRecvBufFreeList );
 }
 
 inline void cac::releaseSmallBufferTCP ( char *pBuf )
 {
+    // this locks internally
     freeListFree ( this->tcpSmallRecvBufFreeList, pBuf );
 }
 
@@ -310,11 +312,13 @@ inline unsigned cac::largeBufferSizeTCP () const
 
 inline char * cac::allocateLargeBufferTCP ()
 {
+    // this locks internally
     return ( char * ) freeListMalloc ( this->tcpLargeRecvBufFreeList );
 }
 
 inline void cac::releaseLargeBufferTCP ( char *pBuf )
 {
+    // this locks internally
     freeListFree ( this->tcpLargeRecvBufFreeList, pBuf );
 }
 
diff --git a/src/ca/tcpiiu.cpp b/src/ca/tcpiiu.cpp
index 475c97e4d..7c5be2f0c 100644
--- a/src/ca/tcpiiu.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/tcpiiu.cpp
@@ -637,23 +637,14 @@ tcpiiu::~tcpiiu ()
         }
     }
 
-    /*
-     * free message body cache
-     */
-    {
-        epicsAutoMutex autoMutex ( this->pCAC()->mutexRef() );
-
-        if ( this->pCurData ) {
-            if ( this->curDataMax == MAX_TCP ) {
-                this->pCAC()->releaseSmallBufferTCP ( this->pCurData );
-            }
-            else {
-                this->pCAC()->releaseLargeBufferTCP ( this->pCurData );
-            }
+    // free message body cache
+    if ( this->pCurData ) {
+        if ( this->curDataMax == MAX_TCP ) {
+            this->pCAC()->releaseSmallBufferTCP ( this->pCurData );
+        }
+        else {
+            this->pCAC()->releaseLargeBufferTCP ( this->pCurData );
         }
-
-        this->sendQue.clear ();
-        this->recvQue.clear ();
     }
 
     // wakeup user threads blocking for send backlog to be reduced