HOW TO: Repair Passenger Taillight leak- 98-02 Firebird/WS6

[BobbyGFirebird]

#2 by the way: my 3057 bulb was fried brown and green on the contacts (one of 4 contact points especially) as I think I used way too much di-electric bulb grease last time I fixed in 2015. Partly due Scotty Kilmer and other bad i fo, I thought such grease WAS e-conductive, and I slathered all in socket and on contacts. I now know such Bulb Grease is NON-conductive and should be used on plastic/rubber parts of socket but try avoid getting right on contacts as can cause overheating of contact.

[SMWS6TA]

If they are that badly corroded then I just get a replacement from RockAuto or any parts store and just swap out.

I did the drill mod on the bottom edge of the light housing 10 yrs ago and haven't had one single issue since. I also swapped over to LED's about 3-4 yrs ago and haven't replaced a single bulb since.

[LarryM2002]

New to the forem but I did want to thank the original poster. This is a great write up and if you take your time separating the two halves, you can definitely do this.
My other comment is I didn't see any mention of the small hole inside the middle of the three large bulb areas of the back sections. If you notice, the opposite side has what looks like a round piece of tightly woven material. This material is designed to allow air to pass through, but not moisture. If you do manage to get a complete seal around the perimeter of the lens and a seal at the bulb sockets, when your bulbs are on for an extended time the expanded air can vent out through this material. And will equalize the air pressure when the bulbs have cooled. When cleaning and painting the back sections, cover that tiny hole to prevent it from being clogged or contaminating the material.