diff --git a/Classes/PHPExcel/Shared/String.php b/Classes/PHPExcel/Shared/String.php
index cee3ea4e..5f596852 100644
--- a/Classes/PHPExcel/Shared/String.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPExcel/Shared/String.php
@@ -493,14 +493,13 @@ class PHPExcel_Shared_String
 	public static function ConvertEncoding($value, $to, $from)
 	{
 		if (self::getIsIconvEnabled()) {
-			$value = iconv($from, $to, $value);
-			return $value;
+			return iconv($from, $to, $value);
 		}
 
 		if (self::getIsMbstringEnabled()) {
-			$value = mb_convert_encoding($value, $to, $from);
-			return $value;
+			return mb_convert_encoding($value, $to, $from);
 		}
+
 		if($from == 'UTF-16LE'){
 			return self::utf16_decode($value, false);
 		}else if($from == 'UTF-16BE'){
diff --git a/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Parser.php b/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Parser.php
index 2210db4e..baf74082 100644
--- a/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Parser.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Parser.php
@@ -944,9 +944,8 @@ class PHPExcel_Writer_Excel5_Parser
 		if ($col >= 256) {
 			throw new Exception("Column in: $cell greater than 255");
 		}
-		// FIXME: change for BIFF8
-		if ($row >= 16384) {
-			throw new Exception("Row in: $cell greater than 16384 ");
+		if ($row >= 65536) {
+			throw new Exception("Row in: $cell greater than 65536 ");
 		}
 
 		// Set the high bits to indicate if row or col are relative.
@@ -980,11 +979,11 @@ class PHPExcel_Writer_Excel5_Parser
 		--$row2;
 		// Trick poor inocent Excel
 		$col1 = 0;
-		$col2 = 16383; // FIXME: maximum possible value for Excel 5 (change this!!!)
+		$col2 = 65535; // FIXME: maximum possible value for Excel 5 (change this!!!)
 
 		// FIXME: this changes for BIFF8
-		if (($row1 >= 16384) or ($row2 >= 16384)) {
-			throw new Exception("Row in: $range greater than 16384 ");
+		if (($row1 >= 65536) or ($row2 >= 65536)) {
+			throw new Exception("Row in: $range greater than 65536 ");
 		}
 
 		// Set the high bits to indicate if rows are relative.
diff --git a/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Workbook.php b/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Workbook.php
index fb0a67c4..99d24d3f 100644
--- a/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Workbook.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel5/Workbook.php
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ class PHPExcel_Writer_Excel5_Workbook extends PHPExcel_Writer_Excel5_BIFFwriter
 					$rowmax = $repeat[1] - 1;
 				} else {
 					$rowmin = 0;
-					$rowmax = 16383;
+					$rowmax = 65535;
 				}
 
 				$this->_writeNameShort(
diff --git a/changelog.txt b/changelog.txt
index ffca13a4..f00fd788 100644
--- a/changelog.txt
+++ b/changelog.txt
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 Fixed in develop branch:
 - Bugfix:   (Asker)  Work item 18777 - Error in PHPEXCEL/Calculation.php script on line 2976 (stack pop check)
 - Bugfix:   (MBaker) Work item 18794 - CSV files without a file extension being identified as HTML
+- Bugfix:   (MBaker) Work item GH-66 - Wrong check for maximum number of rows in Excel5 Writer
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------