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I’m thinking of replacing my aftermarket distributors with Delco Voyagers. I need to know if I can use the standard distributor on my starboard engine or do I need the counter-rotating option?

On my original 1979 228 Mercruisers, and on the 350 Michigan Motorzs replacements I installed, the starboard engine has a gear train instead of a timing chain, so that the cam and distributor turns the same way as the port engine.

To the best of my knowledge the only one who has a different cam shaft and there for a different cam shaft gear is Ford. and they are impossible to find. ask me how i know!!

I thought most setups the engine was the same in both sides but the transmission and propeller was setup on the counter rotating motor to spin counter clockwise while going forward.

As the gears have gotten pretty good at reversing the rotation of the motor with minimal loss of efficiency, it has become the new standard to achieve counter-rotating props.

In years gone bye it used to be the motors that counter-rotated, gears and wheels spun the same direction as the motors.

Here's another thought: take off both distributor caps. Crank the port engine and note which way the rotor turns. Crank the stbd engine and see if it turns the same way.

Peter

I believe you have older engines, and usually they were counter rotating. If I remember right ours were marked which way they turned. As suggest check how the rotor on the distributor turns.

Tony,

I verified that my engines are counter rotating with both distributors running clockwise last year when I replaced my caps, rotors, and wires. My concern was that the camshaft might have a nonstandard gear on it, requiring the same on the distributor in order to make the distributor run clockwise. Michigan Motorz website made some reference to that possibility.

Peter

I would just pull the distributor end have it checked before replacing anything.