OK, this post is in real time! I just wrapped this up about 90 minutes before sitting down to type this.

Well my old TS switch was going bad, and the stalk/lever was sagging, allowing the contacts, which are supposed to be in contact when the switch is in the off position, to lose contact, and as a result causing my right rear tail light to not illuminate with the parking/headlights and Hazard flashers.
I ordered the switch from Dennis Carpenter Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and it arrived yesterday/Monday. It came with only the pins on the ends of the wires, requiring reuse of the old connector 'block.'

So today I went out there and removed the old one and swapped in the new one. I started by pulling the steering wheel and removing the TS stalk. I then removed the three screws I had securing the old switch. The fourth one was standing by in my ashtray, and is now securing the new switch along with its three peers. Then I started at the other end by removing the cover under where the column passes under the dash.

Next I took a few steps which proved important to getting this job done correctly the first time:
First I snapped a couple of good pictures of the wires on the old switch where they went in to the connector.
Second I compared each wire on both switches, one-at-a-time, to make sure the insulation colors were consistent. Two were a little different, but not badly enough to prevent one from deducing which wires they matched on the old switch.
Then I inspected all of the wire termination points in the two switches to ensure consistency in the placement of the wires.
Thirdly, knowing better than to rely on new-fangled electronics, I drew a diagram of the connector with all of its wire holes (from the wire's side's perspective) and labeled each with its proper wire and stripe color.




At this point I commenced on the actual R&R.

Removal: I removed the old switch's pins from the connector and started carefully pulling them outward/aft through the column. However the tape wrap at the connector end was hanging up in the column, so I stopped to unwrap and discard it. After that they all came out pretty easily, probably because I pulled them out one at a time, and I laid the old switch on the passenger side of my seat...

Replacement: First I used the old thought wrench and wondered about being able to snake the new switch's wires where they needed to go. Then it occurred to me to try taping four of the eight wires together, and feeding/running the two halves separately. Think I might've read that here? Pretty sure I've read of taping all eight together. I thought all eight at once might be more prone to hanging up in there or at least more difficult.


I fed the first four into the column, and placed a finger in the hole where the wires are supposed to come out, and when I felt the wires there I grabbed the one I could, and pulled them the rest of the way through/out. The second four were not much more difficult - once I realized that they were actually under the first four, slightly hidden from feel...



Next I did what I maybe should've done before feeding the wires through the column. I connected each pin from the new switch to its appropriate pin in the opposite connector, (according to my written diagram) and tested the switch. All systems go! So I pulled the wires/pins all out and installed them into the connector block, and plugged it in and tested again. Same results as before! Being confident or stupid or probably both, I went ahead and left the accessories powered up the whole time so as to not interrupt my music.



At this point I went ahead and tugged on the connector end of the wires, and guided the switch down into place.
I then routed my wires up and out of sight and popped the 'column cover' back on. Getting back in the driver's seat, I tightened down the four screws which secure the switch. (I'd left one screw out the last time I messed with the switch, because the failing old switch would work a little better with that particular screw out... I tried loosening each screw, one at a time, until my tail lights all worked.)

Then I popped the wheel back on and went for a drive to verify that it was centered. It wasn't, having forgotten once again to mark it and the shaft...