why is the coolant not circulating

Radiator stopped up,or you still have a new water pump that is not working right.

Also inspect your hoses. They could be internally collapsed.

i ran the water hose thru the upper and lower hoses and water ran freely

T_S_T has a good point..I have bought a water pump that was bad out of box....but is it getting hot? And to by-pass heater core did you just splice the two hoses together after pulling them from firewall?

yes, i did just splice the heater core hoses together. Is that all bad?

and yes, it is getting hot!

Oh ok. But have seen hoses collapse after warming up. I would Check them when engine is warmed up. You should be able to feel if they are collapsed or not under pressure. Use caution tho they will be hot. Sorry but have to ask is your water pump belt routed correctly? Also are you positive that you got all the air out of the cooling system after replacing water pump? An air pocket can cause this also.

No, nothing wrong with that. Pondering...but still, getting hot and where is leak?

i did not bleed the cooling system! forgot that had to be done! my bad! the leak is toward the rear. heater core hoses im guessing. you can also hear it boiling in the resivor from not circulating.

and the hoses are not under pressure. i can squeeze them easily.

Ok. Get all the air out of it and you should be fine. Locate and repair the leak.

If car was running hot before all the change,s,,just my thought,s,may be bad head or blowed gasket meaning intake or head,car has been ran hot,would not hurt to check this if all the above doe,s not fix it.

That is correct TST. Good call man. That might also explain the leak.

how do i bleed out the air? take off resivor cap until hot?

do i need a compression test for head and head gasket? is there a shade tree way to do it myself?

3rd opinion...same as those guys. Water jackets in block plugged?

If in USA most auto zones will loan (deposit required but you get your money back when you return it)you what you will need to check for blown head gasket.

See what you oil looks like...if chocolate brown=big problem

what are water jackets?

oil is fine

kalikush I'll have you know you have two of the best mechanics on this site working with you..me not so much but competent marginally

Water jackets are the small passages that are between the cylinders, in the block, right next to combustion chamber, first coolant to absorb heat

ok fellas gonna bleed the air out now. will keep you posted thanks for the help

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P-hEJIBpy8 --- check out this video. Most info does not pertain to you but it will show you where the bleeder valve is for getting the air out of the system. Do this first before doing any other testing. IMO anyways.

Yours may not be exactly like the one in the video but it should give you a good idea what to look for on yours.

You have a leak somewhere. Take it to the good guys @ Les Schwab to check it out for you. Problem is solved and it's prob not hard to fix. Or ask one of the guys at a local car supply store and they can direct you to a part--either you can put it on yourself or bring to Les Schwab to do it for you @ a discount:)

Had same issues. replace thermostat and water pump...was getting ready to replace Rad then heads... decided to re- bleed system slowly over two day with front of car lifted. it worked! Car cooling and running fine, although electrical fans are cycling weird gonna run an ohm test this weekend

In the 93 chevy Cavalier the fan always turns on to late a easy fix for this is to just hard wire directly to the ignition or to the heater switch that way it will just turn on when u start the car I prefer the heater so that way I can just turn on my heater when car starts to overheat and that kicks the fan on intently.

My 02 had a second thermostat in that same housing that goes into the water pump. Still not sure if it was supposed to be there. Pulled out the second bad thermostat and haven’t had another problem.

I am having pretty much all the same issues i have read about here 2003 Chev Cavalier only have had it since June 30th obviously a used car. The overflow tank keeps overflowing the coolant, the fan kicks but stays running well over 5 minutes even after car is parked and shut off. I do not think it was doing this before the last few days. Mechanic replaced the thermostat and then replaced a fuse in the fuse box that was rattling, But it still is either over heating or now battery issues which that part may just been my fault was out on a delivery and forgot to turn off my lights was in the restaurant for about only 10 minutes and came back out realized I forgot to turn my lights off --- let's just say that was not fun lol ... whats really irking me is the leaking and overheating.