Is this E46 cranking / EWS behaviour normal ?

[Cement 871]

So I got my engine swap project wired to the point where i can crank the engine now (woop woop).

I'm feeding my starter solenoid via the 2 pin plug in the engine bay electronics box, TIS says this should be X6011 but I never had one in the NZ new 318. Anyhooooooo I'm 99% it goes to the EWS module and is a fairly thick black/blue wire. Obviously only goes +12V when key is in the cranking position.

I have noticed two interesting things and I'm keen to hear if this is normal / expected:

1. After holding the crank position for maybe 3-5 seconds it automagically stops cranking ...ie: you can't just go forever
2. If I leave the key in the 'on' position for a while then come to crank it, no crank ... turn back to accessory then back through on and it cranks again happily

Feels like some EWS smarts here in play but like to confirm ?

[NZ00Z3 187]

When my E46 323i had a bad inlet cam sensor, it would crank for 20 odd seconds before it would start without the VANOS active.  S0,  your 5 second maximum crank is not normal.

Don't know about the "leave the key in position 2" issue, never tested it.

Edited April 12, 2022 by NZ00Z3

[Cement 871]

Thanks @NZ00Z3, I will disconnect the starter solenoid (I have no oil system currently) and re-test with a multi-meter to get some better data.

Wonder if it stops when an unacceptable voltage drop is detected 🤔

[jon dee 500]

11 hours ago, Cement said:

I have noticed two interesting things and I'm keen to hear if this is normal / expected:

1. After holding the crank position for maybe 3-5 seconds it automagically stops cranking ...ie: you can't just go forever
2. If I leave the key in the 'on' position for a while then come to crank it, no crank ... turn back to accessory then back through on and it cranks again happily

Can't speak for BMW's but in general that seems like proper behavior.  The first helps prevent flooding and running the battery down, and the second prevents trying to crank the engine when it is already running. 

Cheers...