Ok so it gets to 240 and doesn' puke? I'd change the sender and see if a new one tells the same truth as the old one.
Also I'd be wiggeling the fan to assure myself the clutch was in working condition. When cold the fan clutch should be fairly tight and the fan shouldn't spin when turned by hand.
As for the pump...very few indeed fail in any other way besides leaking coolant.. If it ain't leaking it should be good. In about one case of overheating out of many thousand the pump vanes rust away and fail to pump any more.. But this occurs when fluid other than coolant is used, and usually is not a consideration.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />