diff --git a/lib/cartodb/controllers/base.js b/lib/cartodb/controllers/base.js
index ce005055..ac7a2e6a 100644
--- a/lib/cartodb/controllers/base.js
+++ b/lib/cartodb/controllers/base.js
@@ -189,20 +189,24 @@ BaseController.prototype.sendError = function(req, res, err, label) {
         statusCode = 200;
     }
 
-    // See https://github.com/Vizzuality/Windshaft-cartodb/issues/68
-    var message = (_.isString(err) ? err : err.message) || 'Unknown error';
-    // Strip connection info, if any
-    message = message
-        // See https://github.com/CartoDB/Windshaft/issues/173
-        .replace(/Connection string: '[^']*'\\n/, '')
-        // See https://travis-ci.org/CartoDB/Windshaft/jobs/20703062#L1644
-        .replace(/is the server.*encountered/im, 'encountered');
-
-    var errorResponseBody = { errors: [message] };
+    var errorResponseBody = { errors: [errorMessage(err)] };
 
     this.send(req, res, [errorResponseBody, statusCode]);
 };
 
+function errorMessage(err) {
+    // See https://github.com/Vizzuality/Windshaft-cartodb/issues/68
+    var message = (_.isString(err) ? err : err.message) || 'Unknown error';
+
+    // Strip connection info, if any
+    return message
+        // See https://github.com/CartoDB/Windshaft/issues/173
+        .replace(/Connection string: '[^']*'\n\s/im, '')
+        // See https://travis-ci.org/CartoDB/Windshaft/jobs/20703062#L1644
+        .replace(/is the server.*encountered/im, 'encountered');
+}
+module.exports.errorMessage = errorMessage;
+
 function findStatusCode(err) {
     var statusCode;
     if ( err.http_status ) {
diff --git a/test/acceptance/ported/regressions.js b/test/acceptance/ported/regressions.js
index 0d7cc4f1..fa6330af 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/ported/regressions.js
+++ b/test/acceptance/ported/regressions.js
@@ -135,31 +135,4 @@ describe('regressions', function() {
             testClient.createLayergroup(mapConfig, { server: server }, completed);
         }
     });
-
-    // See https://github.com/CartoDB/Windshaft/issues/173
-    it.skip("#173 does not send db details in connection error response", function(done) {
-
-        var mapConfig = testClient.defaultTableMapConfig('test_table');
-
-        var CustomOptions = _.clone(ServerOptions);
-        CustomOptions.grainstore = _.clone(CustomOptions.grainstore);
-        CustomOptions.grainstore.datasource = _.clone(CustomOptions.grainstore.datasource);
-        CustomOptions.grainstore.datasource.port = '666';
-
-        var options = {
-            statusCode: 400,
-            serverOptions: CustomOptions
-        };
-
-        testClient.createLayergroup(mapConfig, options, function(err, res, parsedBody) {
-            assert.ok(parsedBody.errors);
-            var msg = parsedBody.errors[0];
-            assert.ok(msg.match(/connect/), msg);
-            assert.ok(!msg.match(/666/), msg);
-
-            done();
-        });
-
-    });
-
 });
diff --git a/test/unit/cartodb/error_messages.test.js b/test/unit/cartodb/error_messages.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52441db2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/cartodb/error_messages.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+require('../../support/test_helper');
+
+var assert = require('assert');
+
+var BaseController = require('../../../lib/cartodb/controllers/base');
+
+describe('error messages clean up', function() {
+
+    // See https://github.com/CartoDB/Windshaft/issues/173
+    it("#173 does not send db details in connection error response", function() {
+        var inMessage = [
+            "Postgis Plugin: Bad connection",
+            "Connection string: 'host=127.0.0.1 port=5432 dbname=test_windshaft_cartodb_user_1_db " +
+                "user=test_windshaft_cartodb_user_1 connect_timeout=4'",
+            "  encountered during parsing of layer 'layer0' in Layer"
+        ].join('\n');
+
+        var outMessage = BaseController.errorMessage(inMessage);
+
+        assert.ok(outMessage.match('connect'), outMessage);
+        assert.ok(!outMessage.match(/666/), outMessage);
+    });
+
+});