diff --git a/libguile/load.c b/libguile/load.c
index ac9cc7dad..4e127d68c 100644
--- a/libguile/load.c
+++ b/libguile/load.c
@@ -641,7 +641,19 @@ scm_try_autocompile (SCM source, SCM stale_compiled)
     }
 
   comp_mod = scm_c_resolve_module ("system base compile");
-  compiled_file_name = scm_c_module_lookup (comp_mod, "compiled-file-name");
+  compiled_file_name =
+    scm_module_variable (comp_mod,
+                         scm_from_locale_symbol ("compiled-file-name"));
+
+  if (scm_is_false (compiled_file_name))
+    {
+      scm_puts (";;; it seems ", scm_current_error_port ());
+      scm_display (source, scm_current_error_port ());
+      scm_puts ("\n;;; is part of the compiler; skipping autocompilation\n",
+                scm_current_error_port ());
+      return SCM_BOOL_F;
+    }
+  
   new_compiled = scm_call_1 (scm_variable_ref (compiled_file_name), source);
 
   if (scm_is_false (new_compiled))
diff --git a/test-suite/tests/elisp.test b/test-suite/tests/elisp.test
index eaf6dbbff..9e0997087 100644
--- a/test-suite/tests/elisp.test
+++ b/test-suite/tests/elisp.test
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@
 (if *old-stack-level*
     (debug-set! stack (* 2 *old-stack-level*)))
 
+(define *old-%load-should-autocompile* %load-should-autocompile)
+(set! %load-should-autocompile #f)
+
 ;;;
 ;;; elisp
 ;;;
@@ -350,6 +353,7 @@
 
       ))
 
+(set! %load-should-autocompile *old-%load-should-autocompile*)
 (debug-set! stack *old-stack-level*)
 
 ;;; elisp.test ends here