Toilet Woes

MY TOILET IS PISSING ME OFF!

Looks like it should work perfectly!

My guest bathroom toilet had a leak through the flapper.  Not a big leak, not enough to be heard when you are in the kitchen cooking or in the living room watching television, but just enough to inhibit a good nights sleep in the middle of the night when the building is really quiet.....and only until you were arm deep in cold water sealing the flapper.

In my many trips into the tank I realized that the toilet arm screw was broke in half so about a year ago I made a trip to Home Depot and for just under $20 purchased the items to fix the leak and replace the arm.

And ever since then, when you flush the toilet you have to hold the handle down! WTF? This isn't rocket science, it is plumbing.  For a while I gave up using the toilet (opting to walk back to the master bath) but eventually I find myself in bathroom swearing at the toilet. I finally consulted the internet for some guidance and here is what I came up with:

The middle part of the flapper should be removed, or it should be intact,

The flapper chain is too short, or it is too long,

The toilet handle needs to be bent towards the front, or towards the back.

Maybe plumbing is rocket science after all! In the meantime I will be pausing an extra second
when I am in the bathroom to hold the handle down.