When a bushing goes bad, you can tell by the clunk, bump, bang or whatever you want to call it. It is most noticed when you hit a bump or pothole in the road, during quick stops, ect, and the sound comes from the floorboard area about where your feet are on the side with the problem. You cannot easily tell the bushing is bad just by looking at it from underneath without removing it (Unless it is completely destroyed) The part that goes bad is a neck like protrusion on the front bushing half that goes into the cross arm and insulates the radius arm from direct metal to metal contact with the cross arm support.

The metal heat shield I was referring to is not the cat shield itself, but a large cupcake holder shaped metal cover for the front half of the radius arm bushing on the right side only. If it is not there, any bushing installed will fail early because of the excessive heat generated by the catalytic converter in close proximity to it. If it is not there when you replace your bushing, get one and install it at that time.
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