I can't for the life of me, get the speedometer cable back on. I've tried everything, but the cable just won't pull out far enough to get the cluster in, and a hand back there to snap it on.

I popped it off by sticking a screwdriver in and prying one of the tabs out, and it came out with little force.

Now it won't go back on. I've pushed and pried and pulled, but if I work it any harder, I'm going to break the plastic on the front of the cluster. Can I just set it on, and push the cluster in, hoping it will stay? Or does it physically have to snap on?

 

Now it's clearly disconnected from the other end. The little nub that comes out of the cable (square white plastic piece) that clearly turns in order to turn the speedometer can be pulled out completely, bringing the cable with it. I still cannot snap the metal piece on, but I can get the speedo cable nub into the cluster, so that's good enough for me as long as it will work.

Where does the other side connect to? How do I reconnect it? It's a T-19 transmission. This whole debacle really has me aggravated, they couldn't have used a $10 vehicle speed sensor and electronics to do this?

 

You have a 4x4.
It is held into your transfer case by a little 'Y' shaped clip.

If I can do it, you can too.
You just have to pull as much slack sheath up as possible and click it on.

 

What a mess that was. It's one of those things that once you do it one time, you're set the next.

There was a little coupling in the speedo cable by the firewall, it never came disconnected (I found the spot on the transfer case where it plugs into right away), but you're still able to pull the cable out of the coupling if you yank on it. When you go to reinsert it, it's a square peg that's got to go in a square hole, so you have to turn it, not force it till it goes in. I'm talking about the little cable inside the big cable, if that's the right way to describe it .

 

The "big cable" is the sheath, or sleeve.
The cable itself is the inner part with the square end.