I thought of that yesterday so I pulled the manifold. The left gasket has an extra hole in the rear. I have been doing this long enough that I did not think I would do something that dumb but checked anyway.

With the water pump and intake manifold off I duct taped the intake ports and ran water through the engine backwards. Getting good flow both sides.

I did check the water pump where the thermostat is supposed to block the recirculating port and there is no print on the pump or thermostat of any recent contact so maybe????

I have been thinking for the last 6 months maybe this is the last thing and so far it has not been. The only up side, if you can call it that, is in the current climate she does not need the car for school. Just needs a wifi connection.