diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index 4dfe893c..7f9b74e4 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ var EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
 
 var utils = require(__dirname + '/utils');
 var BufferList = require(__dirname + '/buffer-list');
+var Connection = require(__dirname + '/connection');
 
 var Client = function(config) {
   EventEmitter.call(this);
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ var Client = function(config) {
   this.port = config.port || 5432;
   this.host = config.host;
   this.queryQueue = [];
+  this.connection = new Connection();
   this.stream = config.stream || new net.Stream();
   this.queryQueue = [];
   this.password = config.password || '';
@@ -29,33 +31,10 @@ sys.inherits(Client, EventEmitter);
 var p = Client.prototype;
 
 p.connect = function() {
-  if(this.stream.readyState === 'closed'){
-    this.stream.connect(this.port, this.host);
-  }
   var self = this;
-  this.stream.on('connect', function() {
-    var data = ['user',self.user,'database', self.database, '\0'].join('\0');
-    var byteLength = Buffer.byteLength(data);
-    var fullBuffer = new Buffer(byteLength + 4);
-    fullBuffer[0] = 0;
-    fullBuffer[1] = 3;
-    fullBuffer[2] = 0;
-    fullBuffer[3] = 0;
-    fullBuffer.write(data, 4);
-    self.send(null, fullBuffer);
-  });
-
-  this.stream.on('data', function(buffer) {
-    self.setBuffer(buffer);
-    var msg;
-    while(msg = self.parseMessage()) {
-      self.emit('message', msg);
-      self.emit(msg.name, msg);
-    }
-  });
-
-  this.on('authenticationCleartextPassword', function() {
-    self.send('p', new Buffer(self.password + '\0', self.encoding));
+  var con = this.connection;
+  con.on('authenticationCleartextPassword', function() {
+    con.passwordMessage(this.password);
   });
 
   this.on('authenticationMD5Password', function(msg) {
diff --git a/lib/connection.js b/lib/connection.js
index 7201a980..b161080f 100644
--- a/lib/connection.js
+++ b/lib/connection.js
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ p.startupMessage = function(config) {
   this.send(false, buffer.join());
 };
 
+p.passwordMessage = function(password) {
+  this.send('p', Buffer(password + '\0', this.encoding));
+};
+
 p.send = function(code, bodyBuffer) {
   var length = bodyBuffer.length + 4;
   var buffer = Buffer(length + (code ? 1 : 0));
diff --git a/test/unit/client/authentication-tests.js b/test/unit/client/authentication-tests.js
index 80ba98b4..85e43bd8 100644
--- a/test/unit/client/authentication-tests.js
+++ b/test/unit/client/authentication-tests.js
@@ -6,20 +6,7 @@ test('password authentication', function(){
   var client = createClient();
   client.password = "!";
 
-  var clearTextPasswordBuffer = Buffer([0x52, 0, 0, 0, 8, 0, 0, 0, 3]);
-
-  var raised = false;
-
-  client.on('authenticationCleartextPassword', function() {
-    raised = true;
-  });
-
-  client.stream.emit('data', clearTextPasswordBuffer);
-
-  test('raises event', function() {
-    assert.ok(raised);
-  });
-
+  client.connection.emit('authenticationCleartextPassword');
   test('responds with password', function() {
     assert.length(client.stream.packets, 1);
     var packet = client.stream.packets[0];
diff --git a/test/unit/connection/outbound-sending-tests.js b/test/unit/connection/outbound-sending-tests.js
index 7b142ef1..b6c1503f 100644
--- a/test/unit/connection/outbound-sending-tests.js
+++ b/test/unit/connection/outbound-sending-tests.js
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@ test("sends startup message", function() {
                   .addCString('').join(true))
 });
 
+test('sends passwordMessage', function() {
+  con.passwordMessage("!");
+  assert.recieved(stream, new BufferList().addCString("!").join(true,'p'));
+});
+
 test('sends query message', function() {
   var txt = 'select * from boom';
   con.query(txt);