diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/providers/gce/gce.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/providers/gce/gce.go
index bf458ce8e21ae..53f89f816f371 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/providers/gce/gce.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/providers/gce/gce.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/unversioned"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/cloudprovider"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/types"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util"
 	utilerrors "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/errors"
 	netsets "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/net/sets"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/sets"
@@ -72,14 +73,15 @@ const (
 
 // GCECloud is an implementation of Interface, LoadBalancer and Instances for Google Compute Engine.
 type GCECloud struct {
-	service           *compute.Service
-	containerService  *container.Service
-	projectID         string
-	region            string
-	localZone         string   // The zone in which we are running
-	managedZones      []string // List of zones we are spanning (for Ubernetes-Lite, primarily when running on master)
-	networkURL        string
-	useMetadataServer bool
+	service                  *compute.Service
+	containerService         *container.Service
+	projectID                string
+	region                   string
+	localZone                string   // The zone in which we are running
+	managedZones             []string // List of zones we are spanning (for Ubernetes-Lite, primarily when running on master)
+	networkURL               string
+	useMetadataServer        bool
+	operationPollRateLimiter util.RateLimiter
 }
 
 type Config struct {
@@ -296,15 +298,18 @@ func CreateGCECloud(projectID, region, zone string, managedZones []string, netwo
 		glog.Infof("managing multiple zones: %v", managedZones)
 	}
 
+	operationPollRateLimiter := util.NewTokenBucketRateLimiter(10, 100) // 10 qps, 100 bucket size.
+
 	return &GCECloud{
-		service:           svc,
-		containerService:  containerSvc,
-		projectID:         projectID,
-		region:            region,
-		localZone:         zone,
-		managedZones:      managedZones,
-		networkURL:        networkURL,
-		useMetadataServer: useMetadataServer,
+		service:                  svc,
+		containerService:         containerSvc,
+		projectID:                projectID,
+		region:                   region,
+		localZone:                zone,
+		managedZones:             managedZones,
+		networkURL:               networkURL,
+		useMetadataServer:        useMetadataServer,
+		operationPollRateLimiter: operationPollRateLimiter,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -373,7 +378,7 @@ func (gce *GCECloud) targetPoolURL(name, region string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/%s/regions/%s/targetPools/%s", gce.projectID, region, name)
 }
 
-func waitForOp(op *compute.Operation, getOperation func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error)) error {
+func (gce *GCECloud) waitForOp(op *compute.Operation, getOperation func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error)) error {
 	if op == nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("operation must not be nil")
 	}
@@ -384,9 +389,15 @@ func waitForOp(op *compute.Operation, getOperation func(operationName string) (*
 
 	opName := op.Name
 	return wait.Poll(operationPollInterval, operationPollTimeoutDuration, func() (bool, error) {
+		start := time.Now()
+		gce.operationPollRateLimiter.Accept()
+		duration := time.Now().Sub(start)
+		if duration > 5*time.Second {
+			glog.Infof("pollOperation: waited %v for %v", duration, opName)
+		}
 		pollOp, err := getOperation(opName)
 		if err != nil {
-			glog.Warningf("GCE poll operation failed: %v", err)
+			glog.Warningf("GCE poll operation %s failed: pollOp: [%v] err: [%v] getErrorFromOp: [%v]", opName, pollOp, err, getErrorFromOp(pollOp))
 		}
 		return opIsDone(pollOp), getErrorFromOp(pollOp)
 	})
@@ -410,19 +421,19 @@ func getErrorFromOp(op *compute.Operation) error {
 }
 
 func (gce *GCECloud) waitForGlobalOp(op *compute.Operation) error {
-	return waitForOp(op, func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error) {
+	return gce.waitForOp(op, func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error) {
 		return gce.service.GlobalOperations.Get(gce.projectID, operationName).Do()
 	})
 }
 
 func (gce *GCECloud) waitForRegionOp(op *compute.Operation, region string) error {
-	return waitForOp(op, func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error) {
+	return gce.waitForOp(op, func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error) {
 		return gce.service.RegionOperations.Get(gce.projectID, region, operationName).Do()
 	})
 }
 
 func (gce *GCECloud) waitForZoneOp(op *compute.Operation, zone string) error {
-	return waitForOp(op, func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error) {
+	return gce.waitForOp(op, func(operationName string) (*compute.Operation, error) {
 		return gce.service.ZoneOperations.Get(gce.projectID, zone, operationName).Do()
 	})
 }
@@ -2366,7 +2377,7 @@ func (gce *GCECloud) getInstanceByName(name string) (*gceInstance, error) {
 		zone := gce.managedZones[0]
 		res, err := gce.service.Instances.Get(gce.projectID, zone, name).Do()
 		if err != nil {
-			glog.Errorf("Failed to retrieve TargetInstance resource for instance: %s", name)
+			glog.Errorf("getInstanceByName/single-zone: failed to get instance %s; err: %v", name, err)
 			if isHTTPErrorCode(err, http.StatusNotFound) {
 				return nil, cloudprovider.InstanceNotFound
 			}
@@ -2383,6 +2394,7 @@ func (gce *GCECloud) getInstanceByName(name string) (*gceInstance, error) {
 
 	instances, err := gce.getInstancesByNames([]string{name})
 	if err != nil {
+		glog.Errorf("getInstanceByName/multiple-zones: failed to get instance %s; err: %v", name, err)
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if len(instances) != 1 || instances[0] == nil {