The chain to operate my 3 speed fan broke off. I have no way of turning off the fan so I flipped the switch in my electrical box to the room. I have marked the position of the 4 wires and am trying to remove them from the switch, however, they appear to be sodered. I read in one article that I should be able to prior these wires out of the holders and not to cut the wires. I have tried and can't get the wires loose. It appears to me that the wires need to be cut Any problems in cutting the wires. If I do cut them can I wrap the ends with electrical tape until I am able to find a switch?

The wires remove from the switch with the use of a very small eyeglass screwdriver or similar. See:

http://www.ceiling-fans-n-more.com/c...and-repair.php

The wires are 'pinched' in place in the switch and you may need to insert a small jeweler's screwdriver along side the wire into the hole to loosen the grip to pull it out.. Most better hardware stores carry replacement switches - get one before you attempt a repair and follow the instructions. If you cut the wires now and simply wrap them with tape - your fan likely won't work at all unless you know which wires to connect to get the speed you want. If you simply want to kill the fan until you get a new switch, remove the wire from the hole marked "L" on the switch (on some switches - hopefully yours) and tape it.

I am having a similar problem. My wire nuts appear to be glued onto the wires and pinched. How do I get them out? There's not enough wire to allow me to simply cut and splice. Is it normal for manufacturers to use glue?