diff --git a/ConnectionHelper.inc b/ConnectionHelper.inc
index 11aa868f..f464ab91 100644
--- a/ConnectionHelper.inc
+++ b/ConnectionHelper.inc
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ class ConnectionHelper {
     return $new_url;
   }
 
-  function getSoapClient($url = NULL) {
+  function getSoapClient($url = NULL, $exceptions = TRUE) {
     if ($url == NULL) {
       $url=variable_get('fedora_soap_url', 'http://localhost:8080/fedora/services/access?wsdl');
     }
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class ConnectionHelper {
         $client = new SoapClient($this->_fixURL($url, 'anonymous', 'anonymous'), array(
             'login' => 'anonymous',
             'password' => 'anonymous',
-            'exceptions' => TRUE,
+            'exceptions' => $exceptions,
         ));
       } 
       catch (SoapFault $e) {
diff --git a/api/fedora_utils.inc b/api/fedora_utils.inc
index 0e70af81..825192a3 100644
--- a/api/fedora_utils.inc
+++ b/api/fedora_utils.inc
@@ -69,18 +69,33 @@ function fedora_available() {
   
   $ret = do_curl(variable_get('fedora_soap_url', 'http://localhost:8080/fedora/services/management?wsdl'), 1);
   // A bit of a hack but the SOAP parser will cause a fatal error if you give it the wrong URL.
-  return (strpos($ret, 'wsdl:definitions') != FALSE);
+  //return (strpos($ret, 'wsdl:definitions') != FALSE);
+      
   module_load_include('inc', 'fedora_repository', 'ConnectionHelper');
-  $connection_helper = new ConnectionHelper();
-  $soap_client = $connection_helper->getSoapClient( variable_get('fedora_soap_url', 'http://localhost:8080/fedora/services/access?wsdl'));
-  if (!empty($soap_client)) {
-    $result = $soap_client->__soapCall('describeRepository');
-    echo $result;
-  }
-  else {
-    watchdog(t("FEDORA_REPOSITORY"), t("Error trying to get SOAP client connection."));
-    return NULL;
+  
+  
+  
+    try {
+      $connection_helper = new ConnectionHelper();
+      
+      $soap_client = $connection_helper->getSoapClient( variable_get('fedora_soap_url', 'http://localhost:8080/fedora/services/access?wsdl'));
+      if (!empty($soap_client)) { 
+        
+        $result = $soap_client->__soapCall('describeRepository', array());
+      }
+      
+      print 'why am I here?';
+      return TRUE;
+    }
+    catch (SoapFault $e) {
+      print 'what now?';
+      watchdog(t("FEDORA_REPOSITORY"), t("Error trying to get SOAP client connection."));
+      
+      return FALSE;
+    
+
   }
+  
 }
 
 /**