Yep ubolt the three screws, unclip the wiring and then just pull it out. Mark where the bolts were roughly aligned first to be able to put it back in the same spot.
Once it is out just spin the shaft and see how it feels. Like I said. There should be no resistance what so ever. When they snap the shaft it feels like grinding against sand.
Everything really makes it sound like the CAS so I would suggest doing this first prior to anything else since it is the easiest thing to do.