I have a crazy question,but it may be the key to your problem. When you slide the impeller down the driveshaft there is a small piece of metal that seats onto the driveshaft . It locks the impeller in place. Without it, just a tiny bit of water will make it to the engine and the engine will overheat. Also ,when you inserted the impeller into the water pump, did you turn the drive shaft clockwise?
Sorry for asking these seemingly stupid questions, but I am a firm believer in the step by step approach, starting with the cheap steps first instead of throwing money at it first.