diff --git a/test/validate/pvGetSync.st b/test/validate/pvGetSync.st
index d768f50feb8aa78628fb2973179c24dbbf0784f9..802efb6a19dd106a53dfb2716f1fdfefd11a3e49 100644
--- a/test/validate/pvGetSync.st
+++ b/test/validate/pvGetSync.st
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ program pvGetSyncTest
 
 %%#include "../testSupport.h"
 
-%%extern double seq_sync_timeout;
-
-foreign seq_sync_timeout;
-
 entry {
     seq_test_init(2);
 }
@@ -25,10 +21,9 @@ ss sstest {
     state stest1 {
         when () {
             int status;
-            seq_sync_timeout = 0.1;
             pvPut(p, ASYNC);
             testDiag("x=%f",x);
-            status = pvGet(x,SYNC);
+            status = pvGet(x,SYNC,0.1);
             testOk(status==pvStatTIMEOUT, "pvGet/SYNC, status=%d (%s)",
                 status, status ? pvMessage(x) : "");
             testDiag("x=%f",x);
@@ -38,9 +33,8 @@ ss sstest {
         when (pvPutComplete(p)) {
             int status;
             pvPut(p, ASYNC);
-            seq_sync_timeout = 10.0;
             testDiag("x=%f",x);
-            status = pvGet(x,SYNC);
+            status = pvGet(x,SYNC,10.0);
             testOk(status==pvStatOK, "pvGet/SYNC, status=%d (%s)",
                 status, status ? pvMessage(x) : "");
             testDiag("x=%f",x);
diff --git a/test/validate/pvPutAsync.st b/test/validate/pvPutAsync.st
index df9ac9afffac385b0be6fb50097a68aa03d83162..99ceac0197e1d7738e5230faf99b1354f945b37c 100644
--- a/test/validate/pvPutAsync.st
+++ b/test/validate/pvPutAsync.st
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ program pvPutAsyncTest
 
 %%#include "../testSupport.h"
 
-%%extern double seq_sync_timeout;
-
-foreign seq_sync_timeout;
-
 int x;
 assign x to "pvPutAsync1";
 
@@ -56,15 +52,13 @@ ss test1 {
                     i, status, status ? pvMessage(x) : "");
             }
             i = 2;
-            seq_sync_timeout = 1.0;
-            status = pvPut(x,SYNC);
+            status = pvPut(x,SYNC,1.0);
             /* should fail */
             testOk(status==pvStatTIMEOUT, "pvPut/SYNC %d, status=%d (%s)",
                 i, status, status ? pvMessage(x) : "");
 
             i = 3;
-            seq_sync_timeout = 10.0;
-            status = pvPut(x,SYNC);
+            status = pvPut(x,SYNC,10.0);
             /* should succeed */
             testOk(status==pvStatOK, "pvPut/SYNC %d, status=%d (%s)",
                 i, status, status ? pvMessage(x) : "");
diff --git a/test/validate/userfunc.st b/test/validate/userfunc.st
index 2596cce3d3ea8072b60866f865eee6261ab9746e..f987c87d446923b57fe79c14b1f0bf689ba73753 100644
--- a/test/validate/userfunc.st
+++ b/test/validate/userfunc.st
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ exit {
 %{
 static void incr(SS_ID ssId, int *pv, VAR_ID v)
 {
-    seq_pvGet(ssId, v, SYNC);
+    seq_pvGet(ssId, v, SYNC, 1.0);
     *pv += 1;
-    seq_pvPut(ssId, v, SYNC);
+    seq_pvPut(ssId, v, SYNC, 1.0);
 }
 
 static void set_i(SEQ_VARS *const pVar, int value)