1990 Honda Accord LX, 2.2L injected, 5 sp manual

Not sure, but I think one of the valve cover attachment washer/seals fell into the bell housing thru the timing hole. The valve cover was resting upside down on top of the Passenger Side of the engine overnight (timing belt change), and I noticed that the one of the 4 washers was missing in the morning,but Ihad not hear it fall, so I'm guessing that it fell off some time during the night. I did a thorough search of the whole engine bay and garage floor. I removed the battery tray and air cleaner box to give me more access for searching. I removed the bell housing lower dust cover, the starter, and the rubber gasket surrounding the clutch release arm to get a better look inside the bell housing. I probed with a magnet, and poked around with a stiff wire under the flywheel teeth, but could not confirm that the part was indeed inside the bell housing. I couldn't find it anywhere (finally gave up and bought a replacement washer/seal). I rotated the engine and tranny by hand many times before cranking the engine, thinking that if the washer was going to cause a problem, it would happen right away. No noises. Cranked the engine. No noises. Put it in gear while on jack stands. No noises.

When taking the car for a test drive, I was still listening hard for any noises, and I did detect a rattling sound, andbelieve thatI heard a little bit of grinding at one point. So, I immediately and cautiously drove back home and parked the car.

1) What are my chances of causing major damage if the washer gets snagged up by the flywheel or clutch assembly? Will the washer just get mangled and everything else survive, or will the washer cause damage to the flywheel teeth or clutch?

2) Assuming that this part is trapped somewhere inside the bell housing, any suggestion for how to find this critter without a complete removal of the transaxle?

Thanks for your assistance.

AlvonElrod