Hb,
My son says on both ends of the outer cable housing, there is a C-shaped clip that holds the outer cable in place at each end. He said its unusual for those to come off on their own. He said you may have to take off your shifter console to get to the one attached to your shifter. The other end should be exposed under the hood by the tranny. The piece is spring steel, looks like a letter C with a lip bent into it that would be on the edge opposite of the opening, if that makes sense. The lip is there so you can grap it easily with a small pliers or vise grips.
Mike Hawkins