diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
index d4149aa5ba..56593fdea6 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
@@ -432,7 +432,10 @@ func (s KubeControllerManagerOptions) Config(allControllers []string, disabledBy
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	leaderElectionClient := clientset.NewForConfigOrDie(restclient.AddUserAgent(kubeconfig, "leader-election"))
+	// shallow copy, do not modify the kubeconfig.Timeout.
+	config := *kubeconfig
+	config.Timeout = s.GenericComponent.LeaderElection.RenewDeadline.Duration
+	leaderElectionClient := clientset.NewForConfigOrDie(restclient.AddUserAgent(&config, "leader-election"))
 
 	eventRecorder := createRecorder(client, KubeControllerManagerUserAgent)
 
diff --git a/cmd/kube-scheduler/app/options/options.go b/cmd/kube-scheduler/app/options/options.go
index 431354d61c..9023fef445 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-scheduler/app/options/options.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-scheduler/app/options/options.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
@@ -203,7 +204,7 @@ func (o *Options) Config() (*schedulerappconfig.Config, error) {
 	}
 
 	// prepare kube clients.
-	client, leaderElectionClient, eventClient, err := createClients(c.ComponentConfig.ClientConnection, o.Master)
+	client, leaderElectionClient, eventClient, err := createClients(o.ComponentConfig.ClientConnection, o.Master, o.ComponentConfig.LeaderElection.RenewDeadline.Duration)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -264,7 +265,7 @@ func makeLeaderElectionConfig(config componentconfig.KubeSchedulerLeaderElection
 
 // createClients creates a kube client and an event client from the given config and masterOverride.
 // TODO remove masterOverride when CLI flags are removed.
-func createClients(config componentconfig.ClientConnectionConfiguration, masterOverride string) (clientset.Interface, clientset.Interface, v1core.EventsGetter, error) {
+func createClients(config componentconfig.ClientConnectionConfiguration, masterOverride string, timeout time.Duration) (clientset.Interface, clientset.Interface, v1core.EventsGetter, error) {
 	if len(config.KubeConfigFile) == 0 && len(masterOverride) == 0 {
 		glog.Warningf("Neither --kubeconfig nor --master was specified. Using default API client. This might not work.")
 	}
@@ -289,7 +290,10 @@ func createClients(config componentconfig.ClientConnectionConfiguration, masterO
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
 
-	leaderElectionClient, err := clientset.NewForConfig(restclient.AddUserAgent(kubeConfig, "leader-election"))
+	// shallow copy, do not modify the kubeConfig.Timeout.
+	restConfig := *kubeConfig
+	restConfig.Timeout = timeout
+	leaderElectionClient, err := clientset.NewForConfig(restclient.AddUserAgent(&restConfig, "leader-election"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
 	}