Thanks Matt - great news to report, got it free!! I had to use my dremel to grind out some carbon inside the manifold around the flap - and used the torch and kroil on the steel rod. Heated it for 2-3 minutes at a time, put the kroil on, waited 10 minutes, came back tapped it with a hammer, repeated this about 4-5 times over 3 hours and finally it loosened up and now is totally free. Appreciate the tips!
1 more Question: So, the way this thing works, is it the heat makes the brass spring/coil shrink, and thereby the combination of the exhaust gasses and the weight gadget on the outside, pushes the flap into the CLOSED position. So when it is cold or not yet hot enough the brass coil stays expanded, which forces the flap to the OPEN position which catches the exhaust gas and pushes up and around the intake manifold? The reason I ask this question is that I heated my brass spring coil and it shrank, but I noticed that doesn't move the flap, but it would allow the gas inside to push it shut if it were blowing. On the other hand, when the brass coil is cold, it expands back out and that seems to keep the tension on flap in the open position.
