how can I tell if my cooling flaps are open?

not long ago I replaced the fanshroud and sand cleaned it and painted
it. then I noticed that my thermostat connecting rod is mising and also
that the cooling flaps are stuck. I fixed them so they can move but
they are not attached to the Tstat. since it should be open if your
Tstat is not working, I left them open when i mounted it back but now
when i want to check that it didnt move- I'm not sure if when i'm
inserting my hand to the back of the right side of the shroud - should
i push the metal of the flaps (push it to the left side) or should i
pull it? - so it would be open (i can feel also the small spring... if
its spread what doea it indicates? I thouht it shouldnt be spread
because the normal job of the spring is to ensure the flaps returning
to their open postion...)
thanks for any answer!

You can pull the thermostat, disconnect the thermostat from the rod,
and see if it is possible to manually move the connecting rod up/down.
Then reattach the thermostat. Get a hair dryer, turn it on high, and
direct it at the thermostat. After a few minutes is should open. If
not, or it bends in one direction, fix your cooling system.