my R53 2060 facelift has a problem with water temperature and im not sure where to go.....

Resisitor seems to have failed, tested that and all working well with the Arcol 0.33ohm replacement when I power directly.
High speed fan only comes on when aircon is on (as expected)
Low speed fan doesnt come on at all. Fuse is fine and relay is fine (Swapped for known working one)

Temperature on the dash goes up to 120, but it doesnt boil up and ive not got any coolant loss.

Heater throws out plenty of heat when i put it on full to try to cool it down.

Radiator pipe at the top where the bleed valve is, doesnt seem to be getting hot.
I serviced the car last April when we bought it, changed clutch, oil seals etc, serviced the supercharger oil and I put a new genuine Mini pump on. (nothing wrong with the old one, I just thought I would with everything that stripped down).

So, does the pump only pump water around the engine properly when the thermostat is open? or would i expect it to get hot regardless of whether the thermostat opened up?

I have a new thermostat to put in, so looking for info on whether it sounds like some other issue?
Help.......