diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Field/Type/Field.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Field/Type/Field.php
index f4b4e5c020f..1c2f4af8742 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Field/Type/Field.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Field/Type/Field.php
@@ -68,13 +68,16 @@ class Field extends TypedData implements IteratorAggregate, FieldInterface {
    *   An array of values of the field items.
    */
   public function setValue($values) {
+    // Support passing in only the value of the first item.
+    if (!is_array($values) || (!empty($values) && !is_numeric(current(array_keys($values))))) {
+      $values = array(0 => $values);
+    }
+
+    if (!is_array($values)) {
+      throw new InvalidArgumentException("An entity field requires a numerically indexed array of items as value.");
+    }
+
     if (!empty($values)) {
-
-      // Support passing in only the value of the first item.
-      if (!is_array($values) || !is_numeric(current(array_keys($values)))) {
-        $values = array(0 => $values);
-      }
-
       if (!is_array($values)) {
         throw new InvalidArgumentException("An entity field requires a numerically indexed array of items as value.");
       }
diff --git a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityFormTest.php b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityFormTest.php
index 3cb497be11e..278e151ba8e 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityFormTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityFormTest.php
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class EntityFormTest extends WebTestBase {
   function testFormCRUD() {
     $langcode = LANGUAGE_NOT_SPECIFIED;
     $name1 = $this->randomName(8);
-    $name2 = $this->randomName(8);
+    $name2 = $this->randomName(10);
 
     $edit = array(
       'name' => $name1,
diff --git a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityTranslationTest.php b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityTranslationTest.php
index e0b25fb759b..9c38fdaec19 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityTranslationTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Entity/EntityTranslationTest.php
@@ -171,6 +171,15 @@ class EntityTranslationTest extends WebTestBase {
     $entity->getTranslation($this->langcodes[1], FALSE)->set($field_name, array(0 => array('value' => 'default value2')));
     // Get the value.
     $this->assertEqual($entity->get($field_name)->value, 'default value2', 'Untranslated value set into a translation in non-strict mode.');
+
+    // Test setting the user_id to 0 using setValue method.
+    $entity = entity_create('entity_test', array(
+      'name' => 'test',
+      'user_id' => $GLOBALS['user']->uid,
+    ));
+    $translation = $entity->getTranslation($this->langcodes[1], FALSE);
+    $translation->user_id->setValue(0);
+    $this->assertIdentical($entity->get('user_id')->value, 0);
   }
 
   /**