car is overheating

Don't know this for sure. A lot of times there is a belt routing schematic under the hood near the hood latch. Knowing you bipassed the ac It could be that accidentally the new belt was routed wrong. The pully on the pump should turn clockwise when engine is running. It's easy enough to put a thermostat in upsidedown as well.

This is the routing for a 1990 TBird. How could you bypass the A/C? Click the image and you will see it much better

Good question, if it even happened, you would need a much shorter belt to even try. You wouldn't think this car would have came without that option. Maybe there is aanother schematic for that.

There is mrmooney. But still...I can tell with the water pump way up in the corner it's same engine

Only think I see different is where the alternator is..but the '90 had 2 engines available. And if somehow, someway, he got it on wrong, the water pump could be turning backward if the belt got put on with the ribs on the tensioner, instead of the flat side of the belt...got routed underneath instead of over the top with the flat side of belt on water pump. I can actually see how that is possible if the belt is just the right (wrong?) length

I don't know now if that image on the bottom is right. It is labeled where I got it as 1990 Ford Thunderbird, but studying it I see there is a separate belt and tensioner for the water pump

From looking at the diagrams, there is no way that you can get the water pump to spin in the wrong direction. --- That leaves a 23 year old overheating engine. My first thoughts are the worn water pump and flushing the radiator.

I'll buy that. Especially in the bottom image it shows a separate belt for the W/P

You would have to use a idler pully ,its sold in a kit to bypass ac.

Belt speed same

Hth jim sounds right,get a compressor or a bypass kit

i just want to thank all you guys for your help. the belt was routed wrong and now the car is running fine. if it wasnt for all your comments i would still be in trouble