Water Pump GONZO?

Hope all had a great Christmas. +10 c here today. Gotta love it.

I got my new head gasket put on my 87, 2.5 non turbo Daytona yesterday. As everyone stated, it wasn't too hard to do. I straight edged the head, and found no sign of abnormalities. Took maybe five hours total.
I left it over night for the valve cover sealer to take hold, and crossed my fingers. The good news is..... NO white smoke, the oil is nice and clean, good heat from the heater, and no sweet smell of coolant.
The bad news is... after warming up, the Temp guage was on it's way to the 3/4 mark, and I shut off the engine. Both the top hose and the bottom hose are still cool to the touch, and this is after it was warmed up. I guess it is the water pump. Am I right, or could it be somthing else?
How can I test the water pump before I go buy an other one?

Thanks
Paul

Could be a seized thermostat.

I would check the thermostat first before blaming the waterpump. It could stick and preventing the hot coolant from circulating through the radiator. Happened to me a few times.

Brand new thermostat

Have seen faulty brand new thermostats before. I would try another one before chasing the water pump.

Good news.
I took off the top hose, and there was nothing there, so I took a thin screwdriver, and pushed slightly on the thermostat to open it enough to let some antifreeze through. I then reconnected the hose, started the engine, and I now have a steady flow through the Rad. Maybe there was an air pocket? Brought it up to Temp again, and all seems normal.
Took it around the block a couple times, and it runs realy nice, but I think it needs a good run on the highway to clean it all out.
Trip plate tomorow, call to Dad, (the insurance agent), Then safety and the rest later.
Thanks for the help.
Paul
By the way.... It needs one stock wheel cap. Anyone have one sitting around?

What I've done after refilling the cooling system is run the engine to operating temperature in the garage without the rad cap to bleed off the air. It's a messy way to do it but I find it's the easiest and works well every time.

Then you only have to top up the rad to account for any spillage, and make sure the reservior tank is at the proper level.

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish

"What I've done after refilling the cooling system is run the engine to operating temperature in the garage without the rad cap to bleed off the air. It's a messy way to do it but I find it's the easiest and works well every time.
Then you only have to top up the rad to account for any spillage, and make sure the reservior tank is at the proper level."

That is exactly what I did after I noticed flow, but it is so warm and sunny here this week, I did it outside.

i htought of MLB's best shortstop when i saw this thread title! :D

Don't those engines have a cooling system air bleed plug on the cylinder head?