94 honda civic overheating

Im going to start by saying I’m not a car guy and I know almost nothing about them. My honda has been overheating because the cooling fan doesnt turn on when it’s supposed to. I know the fan works because when I short the plug that goes into the temperature sensor the fan comes on but when I run the car with it plugged onto the sensor it overheats because the fans dont start. I have replaced the sensor and it still doesnt turn the fans on. My temperature gauge hand doesnt ever even get to the middle of the gauge but it bucks and jerks and rattles so I know its overheating because when I ran it with the fan shorted (as I said before I know the fan works) the car runs smooth with no shaking. If anyone can give me a clue of what I should check out next I would greatly appreciate the help.

I’d look into symptoms of a leaking head gasket. If you remove the radiator cap (engine cold), turn the heater control to hot but leave the fan off, and start the engine and let it warm up, look for bubbles emerging at the radiator cap. That’s probably combustion gasses. Head gasket leak.

Ask at the parts counter of your Honda Dealer if your car has a fan controller.