diff --git a/test/e2e/common/networking.go b/test/e2e/common/networking.go
index 97010b2d734..fa0344b54d9 100644
--- a/test/e2e/common/networking.go
+++ b/test/e2e/common/networking.go
@@ -39,8 +39,23 @@ var _ = ginkgo.Describe("[sig-network] Networking", func() {
 		*/
 		framework.ConformanceIt("should function for intra-pod communication: http [NodeConformance]", func() {
 			config := e2enetwork.NewCoreNetworkingTestConfig(f, false)
+
+			// Extra debugging info since this is the most common diagnostic for failing clusters, and is a Conformance test.
+			errors := []error{}
 			for _, endpointPod := range config.EndpointPods {
-				config.DialFromTestContainer("http", endpointPod.Status.PodIP, e2enetwork.EndpointHTTPPort, config.MaxTries, 0, sets.NewString(endpointPod.Name))
+				if err := config.DialFromTestContainer("http", endpointPod.Status.PodIP, e2enetwork.EndpointHTTPPort, config.MaxTries, 0, sets.NewString(endpointPod.Name)); err != nil {
+					errors = append(errors, err)
+					framework.Logf("Was able to reach %v on %v ", endpointPod.Status.PodIP, endpointPod.Status.HostIP)
+				} else {
+					framework.Logf("Warning: Test failure (%v) will occur due to %v", len(errors)+1, err) // convenient error message for diagnosis... how many pods failed, and on what hosts?
+				}
+			}
+			if len(errors) == 0 {
+				framework.Logf("Pod polling failure summary:")
+				for _, e := range errors {
+					framework.Logf("%v", e)
+				}
+				framework.Failf("Failed due to %v errors polling %v pods", errors, len(config.EndpointPods))
 			}
 		})
 
diff --git a/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go b/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go
index c66cb3cf47a..7a84afb832e 100644
--- a/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go
+++ b/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go
@@ -167,17 +167,17 @@ type NetexecDialResponse struct {
 }
 
 // DialFromEndpointContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in an endpoint container.
-func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromEndpointContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) {
-	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, echoHostname, config.EndpointPods[0].Status.PodIP, targetIP, EndpointHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
+func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromEndpointContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) error {
+	return config.DialFromContainer(protocol, echoHostname, config.EndpointPods[0].Status.PodIP, targetIP, EndpointHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
 }
 
 // DialFromTestContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in a test container.
-func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) {
-	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, echoHostname, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
+func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) error {
+	return config.DialFromContainer(protocol, echoHostname, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
 }
 
 // DialEchoFromTestContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in a test container. The response is expected to match the echoMessage.
-func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialEchoFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, echoMessage string) {
+func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialEchoFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, echoMessage string) error {
 	expectedResponse := sets.NewString()
 	expectedResponse.Insert(echoMessage)
 	var dialCommand string
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialEchoFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP
 	} else {
 		dialCommand = fmt.Sprintf("echo%%20%s", echoMessage)
 	}
-	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedResponse)
+	return config.DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedResponse)
 }
 
 // diagnoseMissingEndpoints prints debug information about the endpoints that
@@ -248,7 +248,9 @@ func makeCURLDialCommand(ipPort, dialCmd, protocol, targetIP string, targetPort
 // maxTries == minTries will confirm that we see the expected endpoints and no
 // more for maxTries. Use this if you want to eg: fail a readiness check on a
 // pod and confirm it doesn't show up as an endpoint.
-func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, containerIP, targetIP string, containerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedResponses sets.String) {
+//
+// returns nil if no error, or error message if failed after trying maxTries.
+func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, containerIP, targetIP string, containerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedResponses sets.String) error {
 	ipPort := net.JoinHostPort(containerIP, strconv.Itoa(containerHTTPPort))
 	cmd := makeCURLDialCommand(ipPort, dialCommand, protocol, targetIP, targetPort)
 
@@ -273,7 +275,7 @@ func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, con
 
 		// Check against i+1 so we exit if minTries == maxTries.
 		if (responses.Equal(expectedResponses) || responses.Len() == 0 && expectedResponses.Len() == 0) && i+1 >= minTries {
-			return
+			return nil
 		}
 		// TODO: get rid of this delay #36281
 		time.Sleep(hitEndpointRetryDelay)
@@ -282,7 +284,7 @@ func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, con
 	if dialCommand == echoHostname {
 		config.diagnoseMissingEndpoints(responses)
 	}
-	framework.Failf("Failed to find expected responses:\nTries %d\nCommand %v\nretrieved %v\nexpected %v\n", maxTries, cmd, responses, expectedResponses)
+	return fmt.Errorf("Did not find expected responses... \nTries %d\nCommand %v\nretrieved %v\nexpected %v\n", maxTries, cmd, responses, expectedResponses)
 }
 
 // GetEndpointsFromTestContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in a test container.