Index: Lib/pydoc.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/pydoc.py	(revision 73511)
+++ Lib/pydoc.py	(working copy)
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
 import sys, imp, os, re, types, inspect, __builtin__, pkgutil
 from repr import Repr
 from string import expandtabs, find, join, lower, split, strip, rfind, rstrip
+from traceback import extract_tb
 try:
     from collections import deque
 except ImportError:
@@ -299,9 +300,9 @@
         elif exc is SyntaxError:
             # A SyntaxError occurred before we could execute the module.
             raise ErrorDuringImport(value.filename, info)
-        elif exc is ImportError and \
-             split(lower(str(value)))[:2] == ['no', 'module']:
-            # The module was not found.
+        elif exc is ImportError and extract_tb(tb)[-1][2]=='safeimport':
+            # The import error occurred directly in this function,
+            # which means there is no such module in the path.
             return None
         else:
             # Some other error occurred during the importing process.
Index: Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_pydoc.py	(revision 73511)
+++ Lib/test/test_pydoc.py	(working copy)
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import sys
 import os
+import os.path
 import difflib
 import subprocess
 import re
@@ -7,6 +8,7 @@
 import inspect
 import unittest
 import test.test_support
+from test.test_support import TESTFN, forget, rmtree, EnvironmentVarGuard
 
 from test import pydoc_mod
 
@@ -166,6 +168,9 @@
 # output pattern for missing module
 missing_pattern = "no Python documentation found for '%s'"
 
+# output pattern for module with bad imports
+badimport_pattern = "problem in %s - <type 'exceptions.ImportError'>: No module named %s"
+
 def run_pydoc(module_name, *args):
     """
     Runs pydoc on the specified module. Returns the stripped
@@ -237,6 +242,40 @@
         self.assertEqual(expected, result,
             "documentation for missing module found")
 
+    def test_badimport(self):
+        # This tests the fix for issue 5230, where if pydoc found the module
+        # but the module had an internal import error pydoc would report no doc
+        # found.  However, there is one (rare) case we weren't able to fix,
+        # which will still give the misleading no doc found message.
+        modname = 'testmod_xyzzy'
+        testpairs = (
+            ('i_am_not_here', 'i_am_not_here'),
+            ('test.i_am_not_here_either', 'i_am_not_here_either'),
+            ('test.i_am_not_here.neither_am_i', 'i_am_not_here.neither_am_i'),
+            ('i_am_not_here.{}'.format(modname), 'i_am_not_here.{}'.format(modname)),
+            #XXX: this case fails and I can't figure out how to fix it.
+            ('test.{}'.format(modname), modname),
+            )
+        os.mkdir(TESTFN)
+        sys.path.insert(0, TESTFN)
+        with EnvironmentVarGuard() as env:
+            env['PYTHONPATH'] = TESTFN
+            fullmodname = os.path.join(TESTFN, modname)
+            sourcefn = fullmodname + os.extsep + "py"
+            try:
+                for importstring, expectedinmsg in testpairs:
+                    f = open(sourcefn, 'w')
+                    f.write("import {}\n".format(importstring))
+                    f.close()
+                    try:
+                        result = run_pydoc(modname)
+                    finally:
+                        forget(modname)
+                    expected = badimport_pattern % (modname, expectedinmsg)
+                    self.assertEqual(expected, result)
+            finally:
+                rmtree(TESTFN)
+
     def test_input_strip(self):
         missing_module = " test.i_am_not_here "
         result = run_pydoc(missing_module)