diff --git a/lib/Helpers.js b/lib/Helpers.js
index e920e8f96..3d7263957 100644
--- a/lib/Helpers.js
+++ b/lib/Helpers.js
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ class Helpers {
 
     let stopReading = false
     let stopError = null
-    let timeoutId = null
+    let timeoutRef = null
     const operationsStream = new Readable({
       objectMode: true,
       read (size) {}
@@ -224,9 +224,10 @@ class Helpers {
       const msearchBody = []
       const callbacks = []
       let loadedOperations = 0
+      timeoutRef = setTimeout(onFlushTimeout, flushInterval)
 
       for await (const operation of operationsStream) {
-        clearTimeout(timeoutId)
+        timeoutRef.refresh()
         loadedOperations += 1
         msearchBody.push(operation[0], operation[1])
         callbacks.push(operation[2])
@@ -236,12 +237,10 @@ class Helpers {
           msearchBody.length = 0
           callbacks.length = 0
           loadedOperations = 0
-        } else {
-          timeoutId = setTimeout(onFlushTimeout, flushInterval)
         }
       }
 
-      clearTimeout(timeoutId)
+      clearTimeout(timeoutRef)
       // In some cases the previos http call does not have finished,
       // or we didn't reach the flush bytes threshold, so we force one last operation.
       if (loadedOperations > 0) {
@@ -256,6 +255,7 @@ class Helpers {
       }
 
       async function onFlushTimeout () {
+        if (loadedOperations === 0) return
         const msearchBodyCopy = msearchBody.slice()
         const callbacksCopy = callbacks.slice()
         msearchBody.length = 0
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ class Helpers {
     }
 
     let shouldAbort = false
-    let timeoutId = null
+    let timeoutRef = null
     const stats = {
       total: 0,
       failed: 0,
@@ -435,7 +435,7 @@ class Helpers {
         return p.catch(onRejected)
       },
       abort () {
-        clearTimeout(timeoutId)
+        clearTimeout(timeoutRef)
         shouldAbort = true
         stats.aborted = true
         return this
@@ -460,10 +460,11 @@ class Helpers {
       let actionBody = ''
       let payloadBody = ''
       let chunkBytes = 0
+      timeoutRef = setTimeout(onFlushTimeout, flushInterval)
 
       for await (const chunk of datasource) {
         if (shouldAbort === true) break
-        clearTimeout(timeoutId)
+        timeoutRef.refresh()
         const action = onDocument(chunk)
         const operation = Array.isArray(action)
           ? Object.keys(action[0])[0]
@@ -485,6 +486,7 @@ class Helpers {
           chunkBytes += Buffer.byteLength(actionBody)
           bulkBody.push(actionBody)
         } else {
+          clearTimeout(timeoutRef)
           throw new ConfigurationError(`Bulk helper invalid action: '${operation}'`)
         }
 
@@ -494,12 +496,10 @@ class Helpers {
           send(bulkBody.slice())
           bulkBody.length = 0
           chunkBytes = 0
-        } else {
-          timeoutId = setTimeout(onFlushTimeout, flushInterval)
         }
       }
 
-      clearTimeout(timeoutId)
+      clearTimeout(timeoutRef)
       // In some cases the previos http call does not have finished,
       // or we didn't reach the flush bytes threshold, so we force one last operation.
       if (shouldAbort === false && chunkBytes > 0) {
@@ -524,6 +524,7 @@ class Helpers {
       return stats
 
       async function onFlushTimeout () {
+        if (chunkBytes === 0) return
         stats.bytes += chunkBytes
         const bulkBodyCopy = bulkBody.slice()
         bulkBody.length = 0
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bfdf26eaa..ab5517c46 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
     "company": "Elasticsearch BV"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@sinonjs/fake-timers": "^6.0.1",
+    "@sinonjs/fake-timers": "github:sinonjs/fake-timers#0bfffc1",
     "@types/node": "^12.6.2",
     "convert-hrtime": "^3.0.0",
     "dedent": "^0.7.0",
diff --git a/test/unit/helpers/msearch.test.js b/test/unit/helpers/msearch.test.js
index 6f6c94b4e..cfd5415c0 100644
--- a/test/unit/helpers/msearch.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/helpers/msearch.test.js
@@ -637,8 +637,6 @@ test('Flush interval', t => {
 
 test('Flush interval - early stop', t => {
   t.plan(3)
-  const clock = FakeTimers.install({ toFake: ['setTimeout', 'clearTimeout'] })
-  t.teardown(() => clock.uninstall())
 
   const MockConnection = connection.buildMockConnection({
     onRequest (params) {
@@ -672,7 +670,6 @@ test('Flush interval - early stop', t => {
   })
 
   setImmediate(() => {
-    clock.next()
     m.search({ index: 'test' }, { query: { match: { foo: 'bar' } } }, (err, result) => {
       t.ok(err instanceof errors.ConfigurationError)
     })