Todd M.,
I believe your hour meter is inductive, like the TinyTach. Inductive instruments have fits on the battery-coil-condenser ignition system due to resonance in the circuit. Installing a PointsSaver eliminates the condenser, no more resonance, and allows devices to read correctly.
Kevin D.,
On your K301, I agree with Kenny; it's probably the camshaft endplay being slightly too large. It won't hurt anything, just makes that metallic rap at certain speeds. I've never seen a defective valve spring in a Kohler, and that's probably not the source of clicking you hear at idle. Assuming the valve clearances are set properly, this could also be caused by the camshaft "jacking" slightly. There is so much "stuff" on a Quiet Line engine that can rattle, it's sometimes hard to diagnose. Being mounted on rubber just compounds the problem. Check that muffler is solidly mounted, no loose baffles, and the air box frame is not cracked.