diff --git a/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_ssif.c b/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_ssif.c
index f366e8e3eee3..94758cc6d899 100644
--- a/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_ssif.c
+++ b/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_ssif.c
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@ static void ssif_alert(struct i2c_client *client, enum i2c_alert_protocol type,
 		start_get(ssif_info);
 }
 
-static int start_resend(struct ssif_info *ssif_info);
+static void start_resend(struct ssif_info *ssif_info);
 
 static void msg_done_handler(struct ssif_info *ssif_info, int result,
 			     unsigned char *data, unsigned int len)
@@ -909,31 +909,17 @@ static void msg_written_handler(struct ssif_info *ssif_info, int result,
 	if (result < 0) {
 		ssif_info->retries_left--;
 		if (ssif_info->retries_left > 0) {
-			if (!start_resend(ssif_info)) {
-				ssif_inc_stat(ssif_info, send_retries);
-				return;
-			}
-			/* request failed, just return the error. */
-			ssif_inc_stat(ssif_info, send_errors);
-
-			if (ssif_info->ssif_debug & SSIF_DEBUG_MSG)
-				dev_dbg(&ssif_info->client->dev,
-					"%s: Out of retries\n", __func__);
-			msg_done_handler(ssif_info, -EIO, NULL, 0);
+			start_resend(ssif_info);
 			return;
 		}
 
 		ssif_inc_stat(ssif_info, send_errors);
 
-		/*
-		 * Got an error on transmit, let the done routine
-		 * handle it.
-		 */
 		if (ssif_info->ssif_debug & SSIF_DEBUG_MSG)
 			dev_dbg(&ssif_info->client->dev,
-				"%s: Error  %d\n", __func__, result);
+				"%s: Out of retries\n", __func__);
 
-		msg_done_handler(ssif_info, result, NULL, 0);
+		msg_done_handler(ssif_info, -EIO, NULL, 0);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -996,7 +982,7 @@ static void msg_written_handler(struct ssif_info *ssif_info, int result,
 	}
 }
 
-static int start_resend(struct ssif_info *ssif_info)
+static void start_resend(struct ssif_info *ssif_info)
 {
 	int command;
 
@@ -1021,7 +1007,6 @@ static int start_resend(struct ssif_info *ssif_info)
 
 	ssif_i2c_send(ssif_info, msg_written_handler, I2C_SMBUS_WRITE,
 		   command, ssif_info->data, I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_DATA);
-	return 0;
 }
 
 static int start_send(struct ssif_info *ssif_info,
@@ -1036,7 +1021,8 @@ static int start_send(struct ssif_info *ssif_info,
 	ssif_info->retries_left = SSIF_SEND_RETRIES;
 	memcpy(ssif_info->data + 1, data, len);
 	ssif_info->data_len = len;
-	return start_resend(ssif_info);
+	start_resend(ssif_info);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 /* Must be called with the message lock held. */