The spring is there to keep the cable ferrule located in the lever.
The slot in the bottom of the lever is only big enough for the cable to out, so you need to move the ferrule to the rear of the car and also take the spring pressure off the lever and the cable will come out the lever easily.
The slot in the bottom of the lever is only big enough for the cable to out, so you need to move the ferrule to the rear of the car and also take the spring pressure off the lever and the cable will come out the lever easily.