Ford Repair: 97 Mercury Villager Van spongy brake, mercury villager, vacuum leak

Question
Hi, I have had for some time a spongy pedal.  I replaced both rotors and pads on the front.  Checked back brakes (still has about 1/4" pad left, drum looked good) and adj. those.  I had a spongy feel before, and still do.  I replace the master cylinder with a new one (not remanufatured) bench bleed the master cyliner and then bleed the entire system again.  Seems no matter what i do, I can't get rid of the spongy pedal.  I have bleed the system enough that it now has all new brake fluid.  I read that the ABS may need to be bleed as well by a computer and tech.  any info would be appreciated.  I don't have an ABS light and I did verify the the ABS is working by doing a hard stop on dirt.  The ABS light works, but is not light when the car is running, so i assume there is not a problem with the ABS.

thanks

Answer
Does the van idle at a reasonable speed (less than 1000 rpm?) I ask because a vacuum leak will reduce the power assist you get from the brake booster.  It's also possible the booster itself is bad.  As far as bleeding the brakes, using a scan tool can make the job quicker, but it is not necessary.  I do recommend leaving the key in the "ON" position while bleeding the brakes as this energizes the ABS and on some vehicles opens the valves so you can get out all the air.  Hope this helps,
Jason