[Pastrytiff]

I have an older filter for my tank. I am pretty sure it is a Whisper system from about 5 years ago, but the person that bought it died a few years ago, so I can't ask to make sure.
My problem is I took the system apart (removed motor, separated the other parts to soak/clean them) and now no matter what I do I can not get it to prime. I am pretty sure I put it together right, and the motor is running, but just can't seem to get it going from there - have tried priming with only a little water, and kept adding all the way to it being full, but no matter what i did it would not start. I am on a major budget right now, and would prefer to fix if possible instead of getting a new one.

Thanks for any help I could get,
Tiffany