Hello Iceman,
TuthillCorp here. Sorry to hear that you lost your suction pipe in the tank. That does happen from time to time.
As Jim mentioned, you do need to make sure that your suction pipe isn't down by the bottom of the tank. We recommend that it be at least 2 to 3 inches above the bottom of the tank to ensure good fuel flow.
Another thing to check is to make sure that the threads on the new suction pipe are sealed. If there is any possibility of air getting in, the pump will pull in air.
One other thing to do to try and get the pump to prime is to either remove the nozzle (I am guessing that you are using an automatic nozzle, like at a gas station) and see if the pump will prime.
The automatic nozzles have a check valve in the spout (where it connects to the nozzle body), and if there is air trapped in the pump, the pump won't generate enough air pressure to open the check valve in the nozzle. If the air is "trapped" in the pump and can't be discharged, nothing will happen.
Of course, the last thing (or maybe the first thing) is to make sure that the voltage to the pump is connected correctly. If the wiring is reversed (+ on black and - on red), the pump will run in reverse and nothing will pump.
I am currently traveling out of the country, but I will check my e-mails from time to time, so let me know if you get your pump back up and running.
Best Regards,
Tuthill Tech Support