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No Dry Starts logo: a chrome shield with an electric-blue honeycomb, a gold oil droplet with a lightning bolt and a gear, above the words No Dry Starts, Electrical Oil Pump, Pre-Prime System.

The worst thing you can do to your engine is start it.We fix that.

Every startup begins before full oil circulation is established. No Dry Starts® is developing a compact electrical pre-prime system designed to build oil pressure before the engine turns—helping protect critical components when they need lubrication most.

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Stage
In prototype development
Configuration
Engine-block-to-filter installation concept
Design goal
Designed for pre-start oil pressure

Your engine moves before oil pressure is fully established.

After shutdown, oil can drain away from parts of the lubrication circuit. At the next startup, the crankshaft, camshaft and other moving components begin operating while pressure is building. Oil films and residual lubrication still provide some protection, but startup can involve mixed or boundary lubrication—conditions that may increase wear.

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  1. Oil collects in the sump after shutdown
  2. Critical components need lubrication during startup

Concept illustrationA schematic of an oil circuit, not an engine drawing; real oil paths vary by engine.

A concept infographic with the headline The worst thing you can do to your engine is start it, and the answer We fix that. Two cutaway views of a crankshaft bearing sit side by side: a scored, dry-looking bearing labeled The Problem, and a bearing coated in golden oil labeled The Solution. A black pre-prime pump with a spin-on oil filter sits at right.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. The headline art below is a concept illustration. The words printed on it, such as eliminates and extends, are design goals, not test results; see the development status page.

Build oil pressure first. Start the engine second.

No Dry Starts® is designed to activate an electrically driven oil pump before cranking. The system routes oil through the engine’s lubrication circuit and, in applicable configurations, confirms a pressure threshold before allowing startup. The goal is simple: reduce the interval between engine movement and effective oil delivery.

  1. Step 1: You request a start.

    The driver turns the key or presses start, as always.

  2. Step 2: The system pre-primes the oil circuit.

    An electric pump moves oil through the engine’s lubrication circuit before the starter turns the engine.

  3. Step 3: Pressure is verified and the engine is permitted to start.

    Subject to the final vehicle-specific safety strategy.

A concept rendering of the No Dry Starts product packaging beside the pump itself on a workshop bench: a black and chrome sandwich-style adapter with blue accent rings, a threaded outlet, a connector with a corrugated cable, and a callout for a rubber O-ring seal on the engine-block side. An engine sits out of focus behind.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. The product and its packaging, as a concept rendering. Printed claims on the box (such as reduces engine wear or extends engine life) are goals that testing has not yet established.

Designed to fit where the oil filter already lives.

Our lead prototype concept uses a compact sandwich adapter installed between the engine block and a compatible spin-on oil filter. The adapter houses or interfaces with an electric priming pump, allowing a targeted retrofit architecture without requiring an entirely redesigned engine.

  1. Engine blockWhere the filter normally mounts
  2. Pre-prime pump / sandwich adapterElectric pump in the adapter
  3. Oil filterA compatible spin-on filter
Concept illustrationConcept configuration; final fitment varies by engine.
A concept rendering of an engine block with the pre-prime pump mounted on it and a black spin-on oil filter threaded onto the pump. Callouts label the engine block, the integrated electrical oil pump as a sandwich adapter, and the oil filter.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. The concept configuration with its parts labeled. The printed lines Eliminates dry start wear and Extend engine life are goals, not established results.
A concept installation guide: the pump mounted on an engine block with a gloved hand about to thread a white oil filter onto its male-threaded outlet, and four numbered steps along the bottom: remove the oil filter, install the pump, install the oil filter, connect ignition-controlled power and verify pre-prime.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. The concept installation order. The printed target of two hours or less is a design target, not a measured time, and fitment will vary by engine.

What the design is aiming for.

  • Pressure before cranking

    Designed to establish measurable oil pressure before the starter turns the engine.

  • Critical component protection

    Intended to reduce startup-related lubrication vulnerability at bearings, valvetrain and other oil-fed components.

  • Cold-start strategy

    Control logic can account for oil temperature, viscosity and pressure response.

  • Compact retrofit concept

    Filter-location architecture may simplify installation on compatible engine platforms.

  • Intelligent control

    Optional pressure sensing, fault monitoring and starter-enable logic.

  • Long-term potential

    Reduced startup wear may contribute to longer component service life; engine-life benefits require testing.

A concept rendering of a technician in a branded shirt and cap installing the pump on a vehicle's engine in a service bay, with an inset close-up of the pump and filter.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. A concept rendering of an installation. The printed lines (such as eliminates dry starts, reduces engine wear and extends engine life) are goals the test program is meant to examine, not findings.

Traditional startup versus pre-primed startup.

Traditional startup

  1. Driver requests engine start
  2. Engine begins rotatingEngine turning
  3. Mechanical oil pump develops pressure during rotationEngine turning
  4. Oil circulation increases as engine runs
  5. Startup lubrication depends on residual oil and pressure rise

No Dry Starts® concept

  1. Driver requests engine start
  2. Electric pre-prime cycle beginsEngine still
  3. Oil pressure is built before crankingEngine still
  4. Pressure check can authorize startup
  5. Designed to reduce time spent rotating before oil delivery

Actual behavior depends on engine design, oil viscosity, installation, pump capacity, control strategy and operating conditions. The sequence is shown for explanation and is not to scale.

A concept infographic titled The difference is protection. On the left, a scored crankshaft labeled Without pre-prime with a list of drawbacks. On the right, a crankshaft coated in golden oil labeled With No Dry Starts with a list of benefits. The pump sits in the center.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. A concept rendering of a worn and a protected crankshaft. The printed lists, such as instant lubrication at startup, shorter engine life and costly repairs, are illustrations and goals, not findings.

Engineered to prove the difference.

We are developing a measurable test program to evaluate pre-prime time, oil pressure rise, oil delivery to critical galleries, electrical demand, cold-start performance and component wear indicators. We will publish verified results as prototype testing progresses.

  • Time to target pressure

    No results published yet

  • Gallery pressure before crank

    No results published yet

  • Cold-temperature performance

    No results published yet

  • Electrical power demand

    No results published yet

  • Flow restriction and bypass behavior

    No results published yet

  • Durability and leak integrity

    No results published yet

Any future result will be published with the test engine, method, sample size, baseline, conditions and date.

Illustration only: the pressure dial readings in this image are not measurements. No oil-pressure testing results have been published.

A concept rendering of the pump and a white oil filter on an engine block, with two oil-pressure dials at left: one at zero labeled Without No Dry Starts and one reading about 60 PSI labeled With No Dry Starts. The dial readings are illustrative, not measurements.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. A concept rendering with two dials. The readings and the printed lines (such as extends engine life and better cold starts) are illustrations and goals, not data.

Help bring smarter engine starts to the road.

No Dry Starts® is in prototype development. Join our update list for progress on testing, compatibility, manufacturing and future availability.

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A concept rendering of a row of the pumps on a conveyor in a factory, with machinists at CNC machines and a banner reading Precision manufacturing built for reliability. It depicts a possible production line, not an existing one.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. A concept rendering of a possible production line. The product is in prototype development and no production run has been announced; the printed lines (such as quality tested and assembled in the USA) describe an intent, not an existing process.

Questions, answered plainly.

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What is No Dry Starts®?

An electrical engine oil pre-priming system being developed to establish oil pressure before engine cranking.

Why does startup matter?

After shutdown, some oil drains from engine passages. At startup, lubrication pressure must be re-established. Certain components can experience mixed or boundary lubrication during that transition.

Does an engine start completely dry?

Not necessarily. Residual oil films usually remain, and some engines retain oil in galleries. “Dry start” is shorthand for the period before normal oil pressure and circulation are established.

How does the system work?

The proposed system activates an electric pump before cranking, moves oil into the lubrication circuit, and can use pressure feedback to determine when startup is permitted.

A concept rendering of a manufacturing building at dusk with a lit No Dry Starts sign, an open bay showing machining stations, a flag and a sign listing research and development, precision manufacturing, testing and quality control, and nationwide distribution. It is an imagined facility, not an existing one.Concept illustration
Concept rendering; final product may differ. A concept rendering of a possible facility. It is not an existing building; the printed list (research and development, precision manufacturing, testing and quality control, nationwide distribution) describes an aspiration.

Oil pressure first. Engine startup second.

The way engines start has remained largely unchanged. We are working to change what happens before they turn.

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