Looking at my Mercruiser shop manual for my 1996 4.3 Liter V6, They define engine rotation as looking at the engine from the stern end – that’s where the outdrive hooks to the flywheel, and the rotation of the V6 engine is counter-clockwise, as probably is all the other engines they use.
I also have the shop manual for the outdrive , and it shows reversing rotation is done by the the outdrive, so it doesn’t affect the starter or the engine. Note that the engine and the outdrive have separate serial numbers.
For starter Lubrication, you didn’t say which engine you have, but if it’s based on a general motors engine like my 4.3 liter is, it’s probably the same. My shop manual says that if you disassemble the starter, internal bearings and internal gear teeth (yes there are some gears inside you can’t see) should be lubricated with Quicksilver 2-4-C Marine Lubricant. There is no required maintenance regarding this, so unless you have disassembled the starter, don’t worry about it. It’s like a car starter and you don’t periodically lube them. The shaft end that sticks out has the “Starter Drive” on it.. This is the gear that rises up to engage the flywheel and there is a ratcheting mechanism right behind that gear that is part of the starter drive assembly. If your starter spins but doesn’t turn the engine, the ratchet is shot (a common failure) so that starter drive assembly is all you need to replace – take the old one, or your whole starter to any auto parts store and they will have it, and it will look similar to the one in the link below: The manual says to lubricate the starter shaft that this slides on with 10W oil when you put on a new starter drive. My personal experience with cars is lube that shaft very sparingly because excess oil attracts dirt and that will cause problems.
If you have a MerCruiser with a Ford-based engine, recommended lubrication may be different, but I don’t think Mercury has used Ford-based engines since the 1970s.
link to Typical starter drive below.
Dave
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_6561117?partTypeName=Starter+Drive&keywordInput=starter+drive
