We took it outside and ran the hose into it from each side while turning it every which way. And turning it every which way without the hose running. And decided it must have the hole(s) in the middle of the wall(s). We decided, again, to replace it.
The day before, I went to Harbor Freight and to Mennards (Mennards usually has more selection in the store than Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, or general hardware or lumber stores). I bought two inspection mirrors, a chem light, a grabber, a borescope, and 5 ft of tubing I thought would be flexible enough to bend through the spaces and stiff enough to push through them.
Yesterday, I choked at spending the money, and tried again for a few hours with shop vac blowing and vacuuming, the tubing, the mirror, and turning it. Dh nixed using the borescope - even if we saw anything, it wouldn't help.
The tubing won't bend around the corners with just pushing. I tried anyway. The grabber is too weak and too small (bigger one was longer but not grabber part is the same). It is obviously less able to go around the corners than the tubing, so I didn't use it. And decided, again, to replace the toilet.
And, again, choked at spending the money. And remembered the idea of gluing it out of the way. But all day, I couldn't hear it rattle and it didn't come back where I could touch it.
So, I ordered the replacement. The same thing. In the same color - special order because of the color so it is not returnable or cancelable. I returned the unused tools.
Then, afterwards at the knitting club, one of the people said their son dropped the cap of a gatorade bottle into the innards of their toilet and they were able to get it out with bent pipe cleaners. But they could see the cap through the hole under the flapper. It took a long time of trying. Smaller cap too, I note. It doesn't matter anymore.
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Or 
... I'm not sure which feeling is stronger at this point.
Back in the day, I used to do computer repairs. But we only would do warranty repairs. People would ask me how much it would cost to repair their 2- or 3-year-old computer and I would have to tell them they were better off getting a new computer because the value of their 3-year-old computer was no longer worth the time charged to fix it. At that time, basically any home computer that was out of warranty was not worth fixing unless you could do it yourself. Probably the same situation today. That's why you just don't see any electronic repair shops in town anymore.
Frugal Tip - Consider Going Battery with Outdoor Tools
Well, the drum slide repair lasted, but the dryer only ran another ~4 loads before the heating stopped. It appeared that the main dial failed and for my ~25-year-old dryer, that part was about $150.00. At that point, I did not want to invest any more money into an old dryer. I ended up buying a new dryer at Menards, on sale, and installed it myself.
Like you, I don't regret my efforts in trying to fix my old dryer. I actually fixed it fine, however, something else went out shortly thereafter. Most of the parts for our old dryer were no longer available, so I had to cut my loss and move on.
Well, Dear Wife really likes the new dryer. It has a number of upgrades from our older dryer. It claims to be more energy efficient, so maybe I'll see a reduction in the cost for drying our clothes. At any rate, I was in the doghouse until that old dryer was fixed or replaced. Happy Wife, Happy Life!
Depending on the age, used value, and size/weight of a tool, it could easily cost as much or more than the value of a tool to ship it off to a repair shop in another state. Especially if that tool was part of a kit and you really cannot determine that true value of the tool. Are you going to spend $15.00 shipping on a 3-year-tool that might have a used value of $20.00? Probably not worth the time and effort, and they hope you just buy a new tool to replace the old one.
