diff --git a/weed/filer/filechunk_manifest_test.go b/weed/filer/filechunk_manifest_test.go
index 5e82c70459..039399f31e 100644
--- a/weed/filer/filechunk_manifest_test.go
+++ b/weed/filer/filechunk_manifest_test.go
@@ -652,10 +652,10 @@ func TestFetchWholeChunkRefreshesLocationsAfterPartialFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
-	liveURL := manifestServer(t, manifestBytes).URL + "/5,abc"
-	dead := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {}))
-	deadURL := dead.URL
-	dead.Close()
+	live := manifestServer(t, manifestBytes)
+	reachServer(t, live)
+	liveURL := live.URL + "/5,abc"
+	deadURL := deadServerURL(t)
 
 	lookup := &stagedLookup{
 		staleUrls: []string{deadURL + "/5,abc", liveURL},
diff --git a/weed/filer/reader_cache_test.go b/weed/filer/reader_cache_test.go
index 16c3531f50..faf184f878 100644
--- a/weed/filer/reader_cache_test.go
+++ b/weed/filer/reader_cache_test.go
@@ -160,9 +160,8 @@ func TestReaderCacheRefreshesLocationsAfterPartialFailure(t *testing.T) {
 		w.Write(payload)
 	}))
 	defer live.Close()
-	dead := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {}))
-	deadURL := dead.URL
-	dead.Close()
+	reachServer(t, live)
+	deadURL := deadServerURL(t)
 
 	fileId := "3,abc"
 	invalidator := &mockCacheInvalidatorForReaderCache{}
@@ -191,6 +190,25 @@ func TestReaderCacheRefreshesLocationsAfterPartialFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// reachServer has srv answer one request. The read path orders replicas by
+// whether their host recently failed, and srv's port may be one an earlier test
+// left marked as failed, so the answer clears that record.
+func reachServer(t *testing.T, srv *httptest.Server) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if _, _, err := util_http.Get(srv.URL); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reach %s: %v", srv.URL, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// deadServerURL is a replica that answered once and then went away.
+func deadServerURL(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	dead := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {}))
+	defer dead.Close()
+	reachServer(t, dead)
+	return dead.URL
+}
+
 func TestReaderCacheRemovesFailedDownloader(t *testing.T) {
 	cache := newMockChunkCacheForReaderCache()
 	fileId := "425141,failed"