Do i need to drop the tranny to remove the 5th gear/reverse switch on an S5 TII transmission, or is there an easier way that i'm not seeing?

A continuitiy test (in both gears and in neutral) showed no change, and i know that the switch from my S4 NA tranny is good, so i was planning on just swapping them. Theres always the possibility that the transmission just isnt pushing the switch anymore (happened in one of my previous cars), but I wont know if thats the case til i get the old switch out anyway.

 

I managed to get it out of my S4 without dropping the tranny, but it was a really tight fit with the wrenches I used. I jacked up the car and I think I just used a box wrench and an adjustable, but that was a couple years ago. I took a look at the FSMs and it appears they're roughly in the same spot, so the same might work for you.