Ran off? Very clever idea... Errr....!
Sounds like the system has now been butchered, the cold feed and open vent will have most likely been connected directly to the appliance (Depending on what it is)...
I would say do the obvious and boil the boiler to see if you can get the gravity to jump start... But as you've played with the pipe configuration, I wouldn't bother... Check for a blocked coil, then go for the next best thing - Fully pumped.
GasAid.co.uk
December 2006