diff --git a/docs/checkstyle_checks.xml b/docs/checkstyle_checks.xml
index 4e1e2e509..2ca33529c 100644
--- a/docs/checkstyle_checks.xml
+++ b/docs/checkstyle_checks.xml
@@ -28,10 +28,12 @@
 
     <!--
     <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.MethodLeftCurlyCheck"/>
-    <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.MethodLengthCheck"/>
          -->
+    <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.MethodLengthCheck"/>
+
     <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.MethodNameCheck"/>
     <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.ModifierCheck"/>
+    <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.NeedBracesCheck"/>
     <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.NoWhiteSpaceAroundCheck"/>
     <check classname="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.OtherLeftCurlyCheck">
         <set-property name="option" value="nlow"/>
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/MethodLengthCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/MethodLengthCheck.java
index 1e9df6587..a462e09d1 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/MethodLengthCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/MethodLengthCheck.java
@@ -29,19 +29,19 @@ public class MethodLengthCheck extends Check
     /** @see com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check */
     public void visitToken(DetailAST aAST)
     {
-        if (aAST.getType() != TokenTypes.METHOD_DEF) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        DetailAST openingBrace = aAST.getLastChild();
-        DetailAST closingBrace = openingBrace.getLastChild();
-        int methodBodyStart = openingBrace.getLineNo();
-        int methodBodyEnd = closingBrace.getLineNo();
-        int length = methodBodyEnd - methodBodyStart + 1;
-        if (length > mMax) {
-            // TODO: This is old style but shouldn'r we use aAST.getLineNo() ?
-            log(openingBrace.getLineNo(), "maxLen.method",
-                    new Integer(length), new Integer(mMax));
+        final DetailAST openingBrace = aAST.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.SLIST);
+        if (openingBrace != null) {
+            final DetailAST closingBrace =
+                openingBrace.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.RCURLY);
+            final int length =
+                closingBrace.getLineNo() - openingBrace.getLineNo() + 1;
+            if (length > mMax) {
+                log(aAST.getLineNo(),
+                    aAST.getColumnNo(),
+                    "maxLen.method",
+                    new Integer(length),
+                    new Integer(mMax));
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/MethodLengthCheckTest.java b/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/MethodLengthCheckTest.java
index a0d57429c..5c48104a6 100644
--- a/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/MethodLengthCheckTest.java
+++ b/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/MethodLengthCheckTest.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 // License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
 // Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
 package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.MethodLengthCheck;
@@ -36,7 +35,18 @@ public class MethodLengthCheckTest extends BaseCheckTestCase
         final Checker c = createChecker(checkConfig);
         final String fname = getPath("InputSimple.java");
         final String[] expected = {
-            "80: Method length is 20 lines (max allowed is 19)."
+            "79:5: Method length is 20 lines (max allowed is 19)."
+        };
+        verify(c, fname, expected);
+    }
+
+    public void testAbstract() throws Exception
+    {
+        final CheckConfiguration checkConfig = new CheckConfiguration();
+        checkConfig.setClassname(MethodLengthCheck.class.getName());
+        final Checker c = createChecker(checkConfig);
+        final String fname = getPath("InputModifier.java");
+        final String[] expected = {
         };
         verify(c, fname, expected);
     }