I suspect that the original poster maybe has a problem with the water pump not making a good seal, and thus not being able to get properly primed. Maybe broken/missing vanes on the impeller? or some other wear in the housing?
For my 3GM30F, from the outside, I stick a small diameter hose into the thru hull (from the outside) making sure to get a good seal, then put the other end into the jug of anitfreeze that is sitting on the ground. My engine will easily draw up the air in the hose, and then it will slurp up the antifreeze. I then just run the engine until a bucket catching the exhaust water is pure antifreeze (usually 1.0-1.5 gallons).
No tools needed, nothing to loosen, nothing to forget to re-tighten,
I use the same technique for the head and washdown (which share a single intake thru hull.