89 force water flow diagnosing

I just put a new powerhead on my Force 50 and quite a few other parts but that's another story. Motor starts and runs fine but no water flow coming to P valve that I installed a couple years ago.
I have rechecked the new impeller and the tube connecting it to the upper.
In trying to diagnose a possible disconnect in the water connections I put air to the P valve which is connected to the top of the motor and I get air coming out of weep holes at back of middle leg but if I continue to apply air I finally get some bubbles from front of lower unit. Blowing air into weep holes immediately give me bubbles from water intake on lower unit. I'm trying to deduce what this is leading me to as far as repair.
My idea is to 1. Check the thermostat as it came on the powerhead and I haven't checked it for blockage.
2. Blow air from where the impeller connects to the mid section and see if I get anything out of the P valve.
Any other suggestions? As far as I can tell there are 3 connections for water intake. At powerhead, from small tube to larger tube then the impeller housing.
I'm fearing that the mid section connection is off and I think the only way to get to that connection is by removing the powerhead again. Ideas?

OK I finally got water coming out of the P Tube for a short bit. The nylon sleeve from the impeller housing seems to be a bit short. I've had issues with the water flow before but usually seemed to get a little better but now unless I extend it another 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch it just doesn't have enough length to make a tight seal. Is there an extended nylon that you can buy or do I just have to make one? Is there another solution?
Thanks in advance,
Rod

Break out the PVC,1/2"copper tubing might work

Small piece of hose.

Thanks guys. I guess I'll see what I can make up. Thought about putting a nylon belt on it and pulling it out a bit but don't want to pull it out of the base of the power head.