Alex,

The turbocharger is lubricated with engine oil so I would hesitate about spraying anything else inside the unit in fear of contaminating the engine oil. Anything needing lubrication should be sealed from outside elements so spraying a lubricant into the unit is probably not beneficial anyway.

If you find the rotor will not turn freely with a straw. It means your turbo has ceased, possibly due to saltwater contamination. It is possible for saltwater to back up into the elbow and into the turbo if there is an obstruction in the exhaust (in my case a melted Vetus muffler ~ long story).

Sometimes a turbo will “stick” if the engine hasn’t been used in a while. Trying to turn the rotor with a plastic straw should be strong enough to free it up. If you cannot get it to turn, try something a little stronger such as a screw driver wrapped in a paper towel, but be very careful not to damage the rotor blades. They are very thin on the edges and because of the high speed rotation, the slightest nick will cause the turbo to fail.

If the rotor pops loose, you will probably want to clean the turbo as something caused it to stick. There is a procedure in the Yanmar manual on how to do this using Yanmar turbo wash.

I hope this is the easy fix for you and not something more significant. Turbos are expensive!

On a side note: anyone reading this with a Vetus muffler ~ if your temperature warning light on your engine comes on, you have already melted the muffler (due to the hot exhaust discharge leading up to the overheat situation). You cannot tell from the outside that the muffle is damaged. Ironically, the only way to tell is to damage it by cutting it open. Seawater can then back up into the elbow and into the turbocharger. You can save a lot of money if you overheat by removing the elbow and checking the turbo for moisture. If wet, flush the turbo with fresh water and then a rapid dry spray such as ether or compressed air.

Best regards,

Mark

SM2K #275

www.creampuff.us