diff --git a/include/nc4internal.h b/include/nc4internal.h
index bed30cf4f..a6e6440ee 100644
--- a/include/nc4internal.h
+++ b/include/nc4internal.h
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ typedef struct NC_VAR_INFO
    int parallel_access;         /* Type of parallel access for I/O on variable (collective or independent) */
    nc_bool_t dimscale;          /* True if var is a dimscale */
    nc_bool_t *dimscale_attached;        /* Array of flags that are true if dimscale is attached for that dim index */
-   HDF5_OBJID_T *dimscale_hdf5_objids;
+   /* HDF5_OBJID_T *dimscale_hdf5_objids; */
    nc_bool_t deflate;           /* True if var has deflate filter applied */
    int deflate_level;
    nc_bool_t shuffle;           /* True if var has shuffle filter applied */
diff --git a/libhdf5/hdf5open.c b/libhdf5/hdf5open.c
index a9d66682d..db6af1049 100644
--- a/libhdf5/hdf5open.c
+++ b/libhdf5/hdf5open.c
@@ -876,17 +876,11 @@ read_var(NC_GRP_INFO_T *grp, hid_t datasetid, const char *obj_name,
 
          /* Store id information allowing us to match hdf5
           * dimscales to netcdf dimensions. */
-         if (!(var->dimscale_hdf5_objids = malloc(ndims *
-                                                  sizeof(struct hdf5_objid))))
-            BAIL(NC_ENOMEM);
          if (!(hdf5_var->dimscale_hdf5_objids = malloc(ndims *
                                                        sizeof(struct hdf5_objid))))
             BAIL(NC_ENOMEM);
          for (d = 0; d < var->ndims; d++)
          {
-            if (H5DSiterate_scales(hdf5_var->hdf_datasetid, d, NULL, dimscale_visitor,
-                                   &(var->dimscale_hdf5_objids[d])) < 0)
-               BAIL(NC_EHDFERR);
             if (H5DSiterate_scales(hdf5_var->hdf_datasetid, d, NULL, dimscale_visitor,
                                    &(hdf5_var->dimscale_hdf5_objids[d])) < 0)
                BAIL(NC_EHDFERR);
diff --git a/libsrc4/nc4internal.c b/libsrc4/nc4internal.c
index 071d9bfca..228a5cefe 100644
--- a/libsrc4/nc4internal.c
+++ b/libsrc4/nc4internal.c
@@ -1207,10 +1207,6 @@ var_free(NC_VAR_INFO_T *var)
       if ((retval = nc4_type_free(var->type_info)))
          return retval;
 
-   /* Delete any HDF5 dimscale objid information. */
-   if (var->dimscale_hdf5_objids)
-      free(var->dimscale_hdf5_objids);
-
    /* Delete information about the attachment status of dimscales. */
    if (var->dimscale_attached)
       free(var->dimscale_attached);