I guess part of this issue may be my fault; at least with the dealership. When I first noticed the problem I called the dealership and talked with a guy at the counter. I explained to him that I had an LT155 with the Kohler CV15 and that I was having a ticking sound under the valve cover which just started and was (from my hours of research including reading forum posts, watching YouTube videos and consulting with a car mechanic) likely a collapsed lifter. I asked him what they could do and at the time he went through the "worst case" scenario which was to have to replace the whole head assembly along with the new lifters. Over the phone he told me the cost would be about $500. When I finally got around to taking the mower in, the person that I talked to on the phone was not in so I had to deal with someone else at the counter. He simply wrote down on the service ticket "lifter noise at operating temp." From there I have played phone tag and gone back and forth with this other guy and his Technician about what they think needs to be done, and whether or not it is worth it considering the mower's age, DESPITE the fact that upon running the mower for half an hour the Technician said that it sounded "normal" and "good." Any attempt to get them to just do what I originally discussed with the counter person before I brought it in, has led to an ongoing tally of this and that which should be done and the $1250 quote that came to be.
I certainly wasn't expecting anything for free, nor did I have an issue with the labor rate, rather I have an issue with how a seemingly simple job that I asked to have done, and will likely solve my problem has turned into me picking up my mower without anything done and to have to tackle the project myself. I am fully capable and know enough about this job to do it myself, I just didn't want to hassle with it as I have many other projects going on at home right now. Had they just done what was originally discussed and charged me the $500 for said job, this discussion would be non-existent.
As a side note, I do understand some basic properties of oil. Like I said before the issue of the tick/tap/knock, whatever you want to call it, does NOT occur when the engine is cold, or anywhere near that. I would have to run the mower for at least a half an hour, under load, before I would start to hear the sound. Turn off and let it sit for even a couple of minutes and it will go away, but quickly come back as the engine and oil are still hot. I have always ran straight 30w oil in my summer machines as my climate and use has always allowed. I have only gone to 10w-30 in this engine BECAUSE the JD dealer as well as many others with ticking issues have suggested. Bert, when I stated 10w in my other post I was referring to startup viscosity being different in the 10w30 as opposed to the straight 30.
I have not tried any "mystery oil" but I did try using SeaFoam to help break down any deposits in the oil. I tried 1 ounce per quart of oil and 1.5 ounces per quart of oil. Each time I put the SeaFoam into fresh oil and ran for about 10 minutes at full throttle and then drained the oil, flushed and did the treatment again. I am open to trying a different engine oil additive/flush and possibly even SAE30 as SLOMO has suggested. All of these little "tests" are certainly cheaper than repairs and will not hurt the engine.
Lastly, my cell phones never cost more than $150. I just don't believe in spending absurd amounts of money on a very disposable and quickly out-dated piece of technology. Besides, I only use it to call, text, do email and keep a calendar. I don't play games, I don't have social media, I am no vlogger, blogger or Instagram model. So, if your intent was to point out how much people (me) spend on their cell phones and are not willing to pay for equipment repairs, it won't work here!! I certainly have no problem paying fair rates for quality work, I just don't appreciate the run around!
I really do appreciate everyone's attempt to help out here, but I think that the only way this one is going to get solved is to tear into it myself and see what I find. The alternative is to just run it until it dies. A re-power, albiet a Briggs single, is only about $700 anyway. Always an option down the road since everything else on the mower is perfect.
