96 Cav overheating problem

My daughter's 96 cav was leaking coolant at the lower hose. So being a good dad I replaced the hose. A mechanic replaced the thermostat in the spring when he replaced the engine.
It overheated right away so I replaced the thermo.
Now it overheats again. It seems that the coolant isn't moving. The radiator doesn't get hot, but the engine shows hot.
Next step is to replace the water pump.
Any other ideas? How do you get the coolant back into this car after draining the engine? Is there a science to that?

Are you sure the sensor on the dash is reading correct? If the radiator isnt hot usually it shudnt show the engine temp as hot, i feel my rad at like half way temp gauge and its hot/warm

i think theres a sensor in the actualy radiator itself that lets the coolant go when needed, try that

i think theres a sensor in the actualy radiator itself that lets the coolant go when needed, try thatNope. There is just the thermostat. When the engine is cool, it's closed and coolant just cycles through the engine, heater core, and back to the pump. When it warms up to 195 degrees IIRC, it starts to open allowing coolant to flow through the radiator.

If your car says it's overheating but the radiator and hose remain cool, you either have a blocked hose, airlock, faulty thermostat, or a faulty sensor.

If your car says it's overheating but the radiator and hose remain cool, you either have a blocked hose, airlock, faulty thermostat, or a faulty sensor.

I'm changing the water pump today. I think its an airlock problem. The heater gets hot then cold. So, the water is not circulating throught the system. I already changed the thermostat with no change.

I'm changing the water pump today. I think its an airlock problem. The heater gets hot then cold. So, the water is not circulating throught the system. I already changed the thermostat with no change.

Changed the WP today. It still started to overheat. I kept working with it to get all the air out of the system. Finally did and it works fine.

That was the problem.. Thanks for everyone's comments!