diff --git a/fs/ext3/inode.c b/fs/ext3/inode.c
index 9da9125ba3ef..a8d3217c5cfe 100644
--- a/fs/ext3/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ext3/inode.c
@@ -1136,9 +1136,11 @@ struct buffer_head *ext3_bread(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
 	bh = ext3_getblk(handle, inode, block, create, err);
 	if (!bh)
 		return bh;
-	if (buffer_uptodate(bh))
+	if (bh_uptodate_or_lock(bh))
 		return bh;
-	ll_rw_block(READ | REQ_META | REQ_PRIO, 1, &bh);
+	get_bh(bh);
+	bh->b_end_io = end_buffer_read_sync;
+	submit_bh(READ | REQ_META | REQ_PRIO, bh);
 	wait_on_buffer(bh);
 	if (buffer_uptodate(bh))
 		return bh;
@@ -2068,12 +2070,10 @@ static int ext3_block_truncate_page(struct inode *inode, loff_t from)
 	if (PageUptodate(page))
 		set_buffer_uptodate(bh);
 
-	if (!buffer_uptodate(bh)) {
-		err = -EIO;
-		ll_rw_block(READ, 1, &bh);
-		wait_on_buffer(bh);
+	if (!bh_uptodate_or_lock(bh)) {
+		err = bh_submit_read(bh);
 		/* Uhhuh. Read error. Complain and punt. */
-		if (!buffer_uptodate(bh))
+		if (err)
 			goto unlock;
 	}
 
diff --git a/fs/ext3/namei.c b/fs/ext3/namei.c
index 642dc6d66dfd..337c3f3375c4 100644
--- a/fs/ext3/namei.c
+++ b/fs/ext3/namei.c
@@ -921,9 +921,12 @@ restart:
 				num++;
 				bh = ext3_getblk(NULL, dir, b++, 0, &err);
 				bh_use[ra_max] = bh;
-				if (bh)
-					ll_rw_block(READ | REQ_META | REQ_PRIO,
-						    1, &bh);
+				if (bh && !bh_uptodate_or_lock(bh)) {
+					get_bh(bh);
+					bh->b_end_io = end_buffer_read_sync;
+					submit_bh(READ | REQ_META | REQ_PRIO,
+						  bh);
+				}
 			}
 		}
 		if ((bh = bh_use[ra_ptr++]) == NULL)
diff --git a/fs/ext3/super.c b/fs/ext3/super.c
index 767fa3a2bd17..662cef4569ab 100644
--- a/fs/ext3/super.c
+++ b/fs/ext3/super.c
@@ -2231,11 +2231,11 @@ static journal_t *ext3_get_dev_journal(struct super_block *sb,
 		goto out_bdev;
 	}
 	journal->j_private = sb;
-	ll_rw_block(READ, 1, &journal->j_sb_buffer);
-	wait_on_buffer(journal->j_sb_buffer);
-	if (!buffer_uptodate(journal->j_sb_buffer)) {
-		ext3_msg(sb, KERN_ERR, "I/O error on journal device");
-		goto out_journal;
+	if (!bh_uptodate_or_lock(journal->j_sb_buffer)) {
+		if (bh_submit_read(journal->j_sb_buffer)) {
+			ext3_msg(sb, KERN_ERR, "I/O error on journal device");
+			goto out_journal;
+		}
 	}
 	if (be32_to_cpu(journal->j_superblock->s_nr_users) != 1) {
 		ext3_msg(sb, KERN_ERR,