[nvrdone]

the mystery continues. as 1project2many suggested, I cracked the bleeder screw at all 4 wheels. got no drip or dribble. then I disconnected both lines at the m/c, plugged them & the pedal became real hard, had about 3" of travel which is where I want it.
then I hooked up the front line to the m/c leaving the rear line plugged. the pedal stayed hard. that line has a 10# check valve in the line.
then I removed & plugged the front line & hooked up the rear line. the pedal went soft, which seems to indicate there is still air in the rear lines.
Now the questions:
One: is the rear chamber - the one closest to the firewall in a normal mounting - for the front brakes in a disc / drum m/c?
two: how do I tell if the smaller / rear chamber has a check valve in it ?
thanks for all the help on this.