diff --git a/libs/autofile/group.go b/libs/autofile/group.go
index 9b78c5110..e747f04dd 100644
--- a/libs/autofile/group.go
+++ b/libs/autofile/group.go
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ func OpenGroup(headPath string) (g *Group, err error) {
 		Head:           head,
 		headBuf:        bufio.NewWriterSize(head, 4096*10),
 		Dir:            dir,
-		ticker:         time.NewTicker(groupCheckDuration),
 		headSizeLimit:  defaultHeadSizeLimit,
 		totalSizeLimit: defaultTotalSizeLimit,
 		minIndex:       0,
@@ -102,6 +101,7 @@ func OpenGroup(headPath string) (g *Group, err error) {
 // OnStart implements Service by starting the goroutine that checks file and
 // group limits.
 func (g *Group) OnStart() error {
+	g.ticker = time.NewTicker(groupCheckDuration)
 	go g.processTicks()
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/libs/autofile/group_test.go b/libs/autofile/group_test.go
index d6b10a420..d87bdba82 100644
--- a/libs/autofile/group_test.go
+++ b/libs/autofile/group_test.go
@@ -16,23 +16,25 @@ import (
 	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/common"
 )
 
-// NOTE: Returned group has ticker stopped
-func createTestGroup(t *testing.T, headSizeLimit int64) *Group {
+func createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t *testing.T, headSizeLimit int64) *Group {
 	testID := cmn.RandStr(12)
 	testDir := "_test_" + testID
 	err := cmn.EnsureDir(testDir, 0700)
 	require.NoError(t, err, "Error creating dir")
+
 	headPath := testDir + "/myfile"
 	g, err := OpenGroup(headPath)
 	require.NoError(t, err, "Error opening Group")
-	g.SetHeadSizeLimit(headSizeLimit)
-	g.ticker.Stop()
 	require.NotEqual(t, nil, g, "Failed to create Group")
+
+	g.SetHeadSizeLimit(headSizeLimit)
+
 	return g
 }
 
 func destroyTestGroup(t *testing.T, g *Group) {
 	g.Close()
+
 	err := os.RemoveAll(g.Dir)
 	require.NoError(t, err, "Error removing test Group directory")
 }
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ func assertGroupInfo(t *testing.T, gInfo GroupInfo, minIndex, maxIndex int, tota
 }
 
 func TestCheckHeadSizeLimit(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 1000*1000)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 1000*1000)
 
 	// At first, there are no files.
 	assertGroupInfo(t, g.ReadGroupInfo(), 0, 0, 0, 0)
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ func TestCheckHeadSizeLimit(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestSearch(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 10*1000)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 10*1000)
 
 	// Create some files in the group that have several INFO lines in them.
 	// Try to put the INFO lines in various spots.
@@ -208,7 +210,7 @@ func TestSearch(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestRotateFile(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 	g.WriteLine("Line 1")
 	g.WriteLine("Line 2")
 	g.WriteLine("Line 3")
@@ -238,7 +240,7 @@ func TestRotateFile(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestFindLast1(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	g.WriteLine("Line 1")
 	g.WriteLine("Line 2")
@@ -262,7 +264,7 @@ func TestFindLast1(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestFindLast2(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	g.WriteLine("Line 1")
 	g.WriteLine("Line 2")
@@ -286,7 +288,7 @@ func TestFindLast2(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestFindLast3(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	g.WriteLine("Line 1")
 	g.WriteLine("# a")
@@ -310,7 +312,7 @@ func TestFindLast3(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestFindLast4(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	g.WriteLine("Line 1")
 	g.WriteLine("Line 2")
@@ -332,7 +334,7 @@ func TestFindLast4(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestWrite(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	written := []byte("Medusa")
 	g.Write(written)
@@ -353,7 +355,7 @@ func TestWrite(t *testing.T) {
 // test that Read reads the required amount of bytes from all the files in the
 // group and returns no error if n == size of the given slice.
 func TestGroupReaderRead(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	professor := []byte("Professor Monster")
 	g.Write(professor)
@@ -382,7 +384,7 @@ func TestGroupReaderRead(t *testing.T) {
 // test that Read returns an error if number of bytes read < size of
 // the given slice. Subsequent call should return 0, io.EOF.
 func TestGroupReaderRead2(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	professor := []byte("Professor Monster")
 	g.Write(professor)
@@ -413,7 +415,7 @@ func TestGroupReaderRead2(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestMinIndex(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	assert.Zero(t, g.MinIndex(), "MinIndex should be zero at the beginning")
 
@@ -422,7 +424,7 @@ func TestMinIndex(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestMaxIndex(t *testing.T) {
-	g := createTestGroup(t, 0)
+	g := createTestGroupWithHeadSizeLimit(t, 0)
 
 	assert.Zero(t, g.MaxIndex(), "MaxIndex should be zero at the beginning")