Thanks for the replies all. Using the multimeter, how can I tell if the transistor is shorted? Please forgive my lack of electronic skills on this one. 
Put your multimeter in diode mode and place one of the leads on the centre leg of the transistor and one on an outer leg (then the other) to test it, you will have a reading on the multimeter.
Compare the suspect transistor to the nearby ones of the same type.
