What is the correct lube for this door handle? the graphite? assy lube? grease? oil?
thanks

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83 300SD Dark Silver Dark brown inside

As far as the locks are concerned, use a spray lube, NOT graphite.

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83 SD

84 CD

Definitely not ass lube.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Since his door is being one, that may be appropriate.

For the door slamming issue, the '83 126 we got rid of had that problem. The rubber inserts in the strikers were deformed, with a nice dent just where the rubber pushes the door latch when the door is closed.

New strikers would have fixed the problem. However, if this is your problem, you don't need new strikers.

Mark the current position of the strikers, remove them and swap the rubber inserts diagonally across the car (left rear <-> right front, etc.). These remove fairly easily and are symmetric, but the latch hits one side. Swapping them across the car put the dent where it causes no trouble.

More data, more questions.
Ok, I looked more closely at my exterior door handles. I lubricated everything with wd-40. Little improvement in door opening but I have learned a few things.
Driver's door opens with any kind of pull, slow or fast. With a slow pull you can feel the door unlatch at about the 3/4 or 7/8 point of the pull. Driver's side backr will not open with a slow pull. Even pulled all the way out and jerking on the handle door will not open. Door does open if the handle is 'snapped' open. It doesn't even take a hard pull, just a quick snap. Passenger doors are both slightly improved versions of the driver's passenger door with back door on passenger side more reluctant to open than front door. I'm thinking that the 'sharp snap' on the handle extends the motion of some part which is not moving far enough to disengage the latch. It is quite clear that the disengagement mechanism from the interior handle is quite different because the latch completly falls open when disengaged from the inside but is just released but doesn't fall down when disengaged from the outside.

I suspect it has something to do with that 'drive screw' (#4)pointed out in the pdf I linked. The reason I think this is that it clearly states a clearance in mm's for that screw. I imagine mine are out of spec. However, I can't figure out how to access that screw. It's on the exterior door handle portion of the mechanism but inside the door itself. I can't even figure out how a person would know what clearance it has since it enters the latch behind the sheet metal.
Anyone have any clue about it?

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Ok, here's the answer. The 'Drive Screw' is indeed adjustable and it is what determines how far the handle has to be pulled out before the door unlatches. The drive screw can come loose and if it does, it will slide out to its longest adjustment and make the door extremely difficult to open. The exterior handle is held in by two 5mm allen screws accessible behind a rubber cover on the back of the door. Takes 5 minutes to remove the handle and adjust the drive screws. Now my doors are all opening effortlessly.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13