Can I do this myself?

Hey all; I just recently took my '93 Toyota Camry station wagon (automatic) in to be inspected and it came back with 3 major things checked and a whopping bill of $635 (which, as a college student, I cannot afford!)...They are:

1: rear brake light out - this is apparently a wiring problem, not a bad bulb. i've played around with it a little, and it seems to be just a loose wire, 'cause if I hit it, it lights up again.
2. rear sway links
3. leaking rear brake cylinders

So my question is: Can i make these repairs on my own, having absolutely no experience doing any car repairs besides changing a tire? And if so, Can anyone tell me how or where I can find a sufficient manual?

Thanks!

  vree079

i use haynes manuals mostly for their torque specs and crap like that, but they are pretty good with other repairs as well.

you can certainly do all these repairs yourself. your tailling probably just needs a new socket, or has a bad ground.

your rear sway bar links aren't too hard to change. you just need a good array of tools.

and the rear brake cylinder probably refers to a wheel cylinder. it can be a pain getting to it (taking the drum off and moving the rear brake shoes out of the way) but everything unbolts and rebolts (assuming it's not to rusty). Brakes can always be a pain especailly if something doesn't come loose or you break a brake line (ha). try to get someone with some knowledge to help you and it should be a piece of cake. also leave yourself a couple of days without a car in case anything major happens.

  carls47807

did the inspection mention if the rear shoes got contaminated with brake fluid...? if so you gotta do the shoes on both sides and cut the drums, it's a safety issue so i wouldn't take it very lightly

  BanffAutoSpa_ap

i knew someone was going to add that little tid bit :)

  carls47807