diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go
index 5dd170140a..98a803252f 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/core.go
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ func startGarbageCollectorController(ctx ControllerContext) (bool, error) {
 
 	// Periodically refresh the RESTMapper with new discovery information and sync
 	// the garbage collector.
-	go garbageCollector.Sync(restMapper, discoveryClient, 30*time.Second, ctx.Stop)
+	go garbageCollector.Sync(gcClientset.Discovery(), 30*time.Second, ctx.Stop)
 
 	return true, nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
index 8732078fa8..efffc5a91f 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package garbagecollector
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ const ResourceResyncTime time.Duration = 0
 // ensures that the garbage collector operates with a graph that is at least as
 // up to date as the notification is sent.
 type GarbageCollector struct {
-	restMapper meta.RESTMapper
+	restMapper resettableRESTMapper
 	// clientPool uses the regular dynamicCodec. We need it to update
 	// finalizers. It can be removed if we support patching finalizers.
 	clientPool dynamic.ClientPool
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ type GarbageCollector struct {
 func NewGarbageCollector(
 	metaOnlyClientPool dynamic.ClientPool,
 	clientPool dynamic.ClientPool,
-	mapper meta.RESTMapper,
+	mapper resettableRESTMapper,
 	deletableResources map[schema.GroupVersionResource]struct{},
 	ignoredResources map[schema.GroupResource]struct{},
 	sharedInformers informers.SharedInformerFactory,
@@ -162,25 +163,59 @@ type resettableRESTMapper interface {
 	Reset()
 }
 
-// Sync periodically resyncs the garbage collector monitors with resources
-// returned found via the discoveryClient. Sync blocks, continuing to sync until
-// a message is received on stopCh.
+// Sync periodically resyncs the garbage collector when new resources are
+// observed from discovery. When new resources are detected, Sync will stop all
+// GC workers, reset gc.restMapper, and resync the monitors.
 //
-// The discoveryClient should be the same client which underlies restMapper.
-func (gc *GarbageCollector) Sync(restMapper resettableRESTMapper, discoveryClient discovery.DiscoveryInterface, period time.Duration, stopCh <-chan struct{}) {
+// Note that discoveryClient should NOT be shared with gc.restMapper, otherwise
+// the mapper's underlying discovery client will be unnecessarily reset during
+// the course of detecting new resources.
+func (gc *GarbageCollector) Sync(discoveryClient discovery.DiscoveryInterface, period time.Duration, stopCh <-chan struct{}) {
+	oldResources := make(map[schema.GroupVersionResource]struct{})
 	wait.Until(func() {
+		// Get the current resource list from discovery.
+		newResources, err := GetDeletableResources(discoveryClient)
+		if err != nil {
+			utilruntime.HandleError(err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Detect first or abnormal sync and try again later.
+		if oldResources == nil || len(oldResources) == 0 {
+			oldResources = newResources
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Decide whether discovery has reported a change.
+		if reflect.DeepEqual(oldResources, newResources) {
+			glog.V(5).Infof("no resource updates from discovery, skipping garbage collector sync")
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Something has changed, so track the new state and perform a sync.
+		glog.V(2).Infof("syncing garbage collector with updated resources from discovery: %v", newResources)
+		oldResources = newResources
+
 		// Ensure workers are paused to avoid processing events before informers
 		// have resynced.
 		gc.workerLock.Lock()
 		defer gc.workerLock.Unlock()
 
-		restMapper.Reset()
-		deletableResources, err := GetDeletableResources(discoveryClient)
-		if err != nil {
-			utilruntime.HandleError(err)
-			return
-		}
-		if err := gc.resyncMonitors(deletableResources); err != nil {
+		// Resetting the REST mapper will also invalidate the underlying discovery
+		// client. This is a leaky abstraction and assumes behavior about the REST
+		// mapper, but we'll deal with it for now.
+		gc.restMapper.Reset()
+
+		// Perform the monitor resync and wait for controllers to report cache sync.
+		//
+		// NOTE: It's possible that newResources will diverge from the resources
+		// discovered by restMapper during the call to Reset, since they are
+		// distinct discovery clients invalidated at different times. For example,
+		// newResources may contain resources not returned in the restMapper's
+		// discovery call if the resources appeared inbetween the calls. In that
+		// case, the restMapper will fail to map some of newResources until the next
+		// sync period.
+		if err := gc.resyncMonitors(newResources); err != nil {
 			utilruntime.HandleError(fmt.Errorf("failed to sync resource monitors: %v", err))
 			return
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go
index 37fcd20069..4ba3c90c8c 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector_test.go
@@ -46,11 +46,17 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/metaonly"
 )
 
+type testRESTMapper struct {
+	meta.RESTMapper
+}
+
+func (_ *testRESTMapper) Reset() {}
+
 func TestGarbageCollectorConstruction(t *testing.T) {
 	config := &restclient.Config{}
 	config.ContentConfig.NegotiatedSerializer = serializer.DirectCodecFactory{CodecFactory: metaonly.NewMetadataCodecFactory()}
 	tweakableRM := meta.NewDefaultRESTMapper(nil, nil)
-	rm := meta.MultiRESTMapper{tweakableRM, api.Registry.RESTMapper()}
+	rm := &testRESTMapper{meta.MultiRESTMapper{tweakableRM, api.Registry.RESTMapper()}}
 	metaOnlyClientPool := dynamic.NewClientPool(config, rm, dynamic.LegacyAPIPathResolverFunc)
 	config.ContentConfig.NegotiatedSerializer = nil
 	clientPool := dynamic.NewClientPool(config, rm, dynamic.LegacyAPIPathResolverFunc)
@@ -168,7 +174,7 @@ func setupGC(t *testing.T, config *restclient.Config) garbageCollector {
 	podResource := map[schema.GroupVersionResource]struct{}{{Version: "v1", Resource: "pods"}: {}}
 	client := fake.NewSimpleClientset()
 	sharedInformers := informers.NewSharedInformerFactory(client, 0)
-	gc, err := NewGarbageCollector(metaOnlyClientPool, clientPool, api.Registry.RESTMapper(), podResource, ignoredResources, sharedInformers)
+	gc, err := NewGarbageCollector(metaOnlyClientPool, clientPool, &testRESTMapper{api.Registry.RESTMapper()}, podResource, ignoredResources, sharedInformers)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go b/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go
index ee3f838969..c0c7c2521b 100644
--- a/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/garbagecollector/garbage_collector_test.go
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ func setup(t *testing.T, workerCount int) *testContext {
 	syncPeriod := 5 * time.Second
 	startGC := func(workers int) {
 		go gc.Run(workers, stopCh)
-		go gc.Sync(restMapper, discoveryClient, syncPeriod, stopCh)
+		go gc.Sync(clientSet.Discovery(), syncPeriod, stopCh)
 	}
 
 	if workerCount > 0 {