Sounds like it's happy so keep doing what your doing.

i believe they only throw flowers on new growth, so the solution would be to carefully trim it back a bit. You can go in and remove all the dead stuff right now, then just clip it back some- it will sprout new growth from the older vines you leave, Might be a good time to train it onto something as well.

It sounds like you have a clematis - they are stunning. Clematis require different styles of pruning depending on what kind of clematis you own. But you can worry about that after you get more experience. Brown leaves are easy to tug and pull off, then you should be able to see the new growth on main vines.

Enjoy your vine, they are very beautiful. p.s.- my passion flower vine is blooming so I share your admiration!!