2005 Kia Sorento overheating

One day was fine.....next day fans weren't working. replaced fans and still not working.....fooled with relays got both fans working but still overheating. Could the problems be related or just coincidence. Hoping it is thermostat.

Ok.....removed thermostat and running open without thermostat. Both hoses about same temp....but gauge still climbs to hot. Turned heater on while showing hot and there was no heat....until I revved engine then heater started working fine but the gauge still showed hot. Not sure where to check next.

I have no way of measuring actual engine temp. I am limited to process of elimination. I am pretty much down to water pump or heat sensor and have no idea how to eliminate either one. Is it even possible for a water pump to be bad but still proficient enough to deliver hot water to the heater core?

Latest clue.....After allowing sufficient time to cool, went out and started. Not warm enough to provide heat thru the heater yet gauge was starting at just below center. Heats up to just below max hot. Does this sound like a bad gauge??? Done for the night gonna re check in the morning. Ambient temps suppose to drop near 40 deg. F tonight. If gauge not bottomed out in morning I'll have my answer. Will post answer when I get one.

OK. Soooo.....after all that it turns out the gauge is bad. It Normally runs just an eighth above center. But because the gauge reads 1/4 when it should be dead cold it is starting out 1/4 so when it goes up approx. 5/8 it now runs just 1/8 below red. In conclusion it is not running hot at all. The gain is still 5/8 of the gauge. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for the help Tennishoes. Gonna leave the gauge for another day. I'm too fat and old to crawl under the dash to remove the "screw holding the bottom of the dash. I sure miss the simplicity of the pre 70's cars when it comes to working on them.

Yeh thought about doing that. gonna have to go shopping.....and of course the heat sensor is not all that easy to get to on the side of the heads.....one of the reasons I was trying not to go to the sensor til last ditch effort. Always taking the path of least resistance is not necessarily the best route to go. Spent a lot of money just to determine the gauge was bad. Such is the life of a DIY mechanic.