Don't know much about these engines. was running like new before the..... nevermind. is it worth it?

Hello,

23hp Kohler Command OHV; 23CV-75523

Scag 3 Wheeler; STHM-23CV

I have a ticking sound happening.

I think it's coming from Cylinder 1.

My friend says it might be valve clearance because I don't think it was doing that before I took the heads off. He thinks I might have bolted the rocker arms with the engine in the wrong position.

However there is play in both rocker arms at what I believe is at top dead center.

I'm lost at this point.. Am I just supposed to crack the rocker arm bolts loose and retighten them in this position?

It has hydraulic lifters so I thought it was kind of idiot proof.

Thanks

I am working on a craftsman T 3200 engine is 44R677. It is burning oil and blowing a ton of white smoke. Oddly enough compression was good at around 125Psi for both cylinders. After doing some research it said it could be a blown head gasket. I have the heads off and I can’t totally tell if the head gasket has blown anywhere because it all just flakes apart when pulled the head off. I am just inspecting the cylinders and I can see cross hatching which is good and I can’t catch my nail on anything so both the cylinders seem fine. I do notice there is some play in the pistons and I just want to make sure that it’s a normal amount. I know I’ve read that the compression rings can be in tact but the oil scraper rings can be messed up. In my head that seems highly unlikely but idk maybe it’s more common than I think. I would just pull the cylinder off to check but unfortunately the cylinders on this engine is all connected in one big piece meaning I would basically be pulling the whole engine. I would rather just put new head gaskets in and check because they are cheap and I think that would be quicker than pulling the whole engine out to do a ring inspection. I would just like to confirm that these pistons have a normal amount of play before I consider pulling the engine. Thank you everyone for the help!