diff --git a/src/initialization.jl b/src/initialization.jl
index 3cfb99aa..ae9a5739 100644
--- a/src/initialization.jl
+++ b/src/initialization.jl
@@ -199,16 +199,17 @@ function initialize_component!(cf; verbose=true, kwargs...)
             @warn "Initialization for componend stalled with residual $(res)"
         elseif !SciMLBase.successful_retcode(sol.retcode)
             throw(ArgumentError("Initialization failed. Solver returned $(sol.retcode)"))
+        else
+            verbose && @info "Initialization successful with residual $(LinearAlgebra.norm(sol.resid))"
         end
         set_init!.(Ref(cf), SII.variable_symbols(sol), sol.u)
         resid = sol.resid
     else
         resid = init_residual(cf; recalc=true)
+        verbose && @info "No free variables! Residual $(LinearAlgebra.norm(resid))"
     end
 
     set_metadata!(cf, :init_residual, resid)
-
-    verbose && @info "Initialization successful with residual $(LinearAlgebra.norm(sol.resid))"
     cf
 end
 
diff --git a/test/initialization_test.jl b/test/initialization_test.jl
index e1041841..04a20124 100644
--- a/test/initialization_test.jl
+++ b/test/initialization_test.jl
@@ -65,7 +65,14 @@ end
     @test vf.symmetadata[:i_r][:default] == 1
     @test vf.symmetadata[:i_i][:default] == 0.1
 
-    NetworkDynamics.initialize_component!(vf)
+    NetworkDynamics.initialize_component!(vf; verbose=true)
     @test NetworkDynamics.init_residual(vf) < 1e-8
     @test init_residual(vf) ≈ init_residual(vf; recalc=true)
+
+    # make empty problem
+    set_default!(vf, :Pm, get_init(vf, :Pm))
+    set_default!(vf, :θ, get_init(vf, :θ))
+    set_default!(vf, :ω, get_init(vf, :ω))
+
+    NetworkDynamics.initialize_component!(vf; verbose=true)
 end