My sportsman 500 sprung an oil leak from the case halves.. I split the case and upon reassembly I noticed I had one of the chain guides in backwards. I've been wrestling with this for about an hour trying to get it out and turned around. It's proving to be smarter than I am. Can I get this out without pulling the head back off? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.. 40 yrs as an auto tech I am now humbled!

 

Nope,not if it's the fixed chain guide. It fits in a notch in the cylinder then the head sits on and keeps it in place. Top of this cylinder is the notch.Bottom part of the guide fits in its slot.