Overheating while idling

Hello to all,
I thank you in advance for your attention and responses to my question. I have a 1994 Honda Accord 2.2 V-Tech with 174,000 miles and an automatic trans. Recently I noticed it to began overheating while sitting at a light or in traffic for more than 7 - 10 minutes. There was a noticeable vibration before the temp gauge rose to overheating status, this vibration I found to be the fans activating. In motion the temp gauge is normal. The a/c is not charged so it isn't activated. I changed the thermostat, oil & filter, spark plugs & wires(tune-up) and antifreeze. Basically it continued, but if I turned on the blower motor for the interior heat, the gauge will return to normal operating temp. The motor has a slight rattle sound... a light pinging. Could this be a water pump, timing belt, valve train components need adjusting or repair, air pockets in the cooling system, radiator or head problem I am experiencing with this vehicle. Thanks

I had basically the same thing happen but I was losing some water. I replaced the water pump and timing belt and problem solved. I replaced the timing belt because it was a why not since the water pump was being replaced.

Maybe a plugged radiator. When you turn on the heater it is acting like a small radiator. At idle, the water pump may not be able to move enough water through the radiator. You can try some radiator flush to clean out the radiatorl. Usually the problem with the water pump is that it leaks, not that it doesn't move enough water.

did you have a problem w/ it overheating before changing the radiator fluid? if you didn't...then it may be air in the system still. try bleeding the system. also, have you check to see if both fans are running. a bad fan motor may give you this problem as well. to check the fans...just turn the ignition on...and turn on the a/c. both fans should kick on. if one or both aren't working...diagnose from there.