diff --git a/Lib/test/test_binascii.py b/Lib/test/test_binascii.py
index fe3843d88f8..0ee842c4e9e 100755
--- a/Lib/test/test_binascii.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_binascii.py
@@ -1,46 +1,87 @@
-#! /usr/bin/env python
-"""Test script for the binascii C module
+"""Test the binascii C module."""
 
-   Uses the mechanism of the python binhex module
-   Roger E. Masse
-"""
-import binhex
-import tempfile
 from test_support import verbose
+import binascii
 
-def test():
+# Show module doc string
+print binascii.__doc__
 
-    try:
-        fname1 = tempfile.mktemp()
-        fname2 = tempfile.mktemp()
-        f = open(fname1, 'w')
-    except:
-        raise ImportError, "Cannot test binascii without a temp file"
+# Show module exceptions
+print binascii.Error
+print binascii.Incomplete
 
-    start = 'Jack is my hero'
-    f.write(start)
-    f.close()
-    
-    binhex.binhex(fname1, fname2)
-    if verbose:
-        print 'binhex'
+# Check presence and display doc strings of all functions
+funcs = []
+for suffix in "base64", "hqx", "uu":
+    prefixes = ["a2b_", "b2a_"]
+    if suffix == "hqx":
+        prefixes.extend(["crc_", "rlecode_", "rledecode_"])
+    for prefix in prefixes:
+        name = prefix + suffix
+        funcs.append(getattr(binascii, name))
+for func in funcs:
+    print "%-15s: %s" % (func.__name__, func.__doc__)
 
-    binhex.hexbin(fname2, fname1)
-    if verbose:
-        print 'hexbin'
+# Create binary test data
+testdata = "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.\r\n"
+for i in range(256):
+    # Be slow so we don't depend on other modules
+    testdata = testdata + chr(i)
+testdata = testdata + "\r\nHello world.\n"
 
-    f = open(fname1, 'r')
-    finish = f.readline()
+# Test base64 with valid data
+print "base64 test"
+MAX_BASE64 = 57
+lines = []
+for i in range(0, len(testdata), MAX_BASE64):
+    b = testdata[i:i+MAX_BASE64]
+    a = binascii.b2a_base64(b)
+    lines.append(a)
+    print a,
+res = ""
+for line in lines:
+    b = binascii.a2b_base64(line)
+    res = res + b
+assert res == testdata
 
-    if start <> finish:
-        print 'Error: binhex <> hexbin'
-    elif verbose:
-        print 'binhex == hexbin'
+# Test base64 with random invalid characters sprinkled throughout
+# (This requires a new version of binascii.)
+fillers = ""
+valid = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789+/"
+for i in range(256):
+    c = chr(i)
+    if c not in valid:
+        fillers = fillers + c
+def addnoise(line):
+    noise = fillers
+    ratio = len(line) / len(noise)
+    res = ""
+    while line and noise:
+        if len(line) / len(noise) > ratio:
+            c, line = line[0], line[1:]
+        else:
+            c, noise = noise[0], noise[1:]
+        res = res + c
+    return res + noise + line
+res = ""
+for line in map(addnoise, lines):
+    b = binascii.a2b_base64(line)
+    res = res + b
+assert res == testdata
 
-    try:
-        import os
-        os.unlink(fname1)
-        os.unlink(fname2)
-    except:
-        pass
-test()
+# Test uu
+print "uu test"
+MAX_UU = 45
+lines = []
+for i in range(0, len(testdata), MAX_UU):
+    b = testdata[i:i+MAX_UU]
+    a = binascii.b2a_uu(b)
+    lines.append(a)
+    print a,
+res = ""
+for line in lines:
+    b = binascii.a2b_uu(line)
+    res = res + b
+assert res == testdata
+
+# The hqx test is in test_binhex.py