diff --git a/lib/internal/timers.js b/lib/internal/timers.js
index a43819da46cc6a..e265c85dcc1a3d 100644
--- a/lib/internal/timers.js
+++ b/lib/internal/timers.js
@@ -102,34 +102,13 @@ Timeout.prototype.refresh = function() {
   return this;
 };
 
-function setUnrefTimeout(callback, after, arg1, arg2, arg3) {
+function setUnrefTimeout(callback, after) {
   // Type checking identical to setTimeout()
   if (typeof callback !== 'function') {
     throw new ERR_INVALID_CALLBACK();
   }
 
-  let i, args;
-  switch (arguments.length) {
-    // fast cases
-    case 1:
-    case 2:
-      break;
-    case 3:
-      args = [arg1];
-      break;
-    case 4:
-      args = [arg1, arg2];
-      break;
-    default:
-      args = [arg1, arg2, arg3];
-      for (i = 5; i < arguments.length; i++) {
-        // Extend array dynamically, makes .apply run much faster in v6.0.0
-        args[i - 2] = arguments[i];
-      }
-      break;
-  }
-
-  const timer = new Timeout(callback, after, args, false);
+  const timer = new Timeout(callback, after, undefined, false);
   getTimers()._unrefActive(timer);
 
   return timer;
diff --git a/lib/timers.js b/lib/timers.js
index d57b1ceb3eee1d..a81e8bc71ef70a 100644
--- a/lib/timers.js
+++ b/lib/timers.js
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ function listOnTimeout(list, now) {
 
     try {
       const args = timer._timerArgs;
-      if (!args)
+      if (args === undefined)
         timer._onTimeout();
       else
         Reflect.apply(timer._onTimeout, timer, args);
@@ -470,8 +470,9 @@ function setTimeout(callback, after, arg1, arg2, arg3) {
 }
 
 setTimeout[internalUtil.promisify.custom] = function(after, value) {
+  const args = value !== undefined ? [value] : value;
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    active(new Timeout(resolve, after, [value], false));
+    active(new Timeout(resolve, after, args, false));
   });
 };