Allen, how the heck do you remember where all those articles and links are?! You're awesome. That o-ring article is a good one.
O-ring lube allows the three surfaces involved (the ring and the two components it's sealing together) to slide together as you tighten things up. Without it, the ring will pinch and bind and deform. It's the deformation that causes the leaks. And the premature wear. So the lube is not really adding to the sealing properties of the ring, rather it allows the ring to retain its correct shape and do its job. And in that way it can lengthen the ring's life. Cleaning the ring and the surfaces it touches is important because a chunk of dirt can also deform the ring and cause a leak.
Counter to the article, I do pull the lube around the ring. That warning might be true of rubber, but not of the synthetics that o-rings are now made from. And I'm talking gently pulling, not stretching the thing way out. If you don't agree, then go ahead and try to "push" lube onto a ring. And I don't slather it on. I use only enough to barely coat the ring, like sort of getting it wet. Gobbing it on will not improve the seal, as I said, that's the job of the ring, not the lube.
It's important not to over-tighten an o-ring. Doing so can cause it to leak, because that can also deform the ring. Generally, fittings with o-rings only need to be "hand tight." You might need a wrench to loosen such a fitting, but you shouldn't use a wrench to put it back together if you can avoid it. If your hands are not strong enough to tighten a fitting enough, then you can gently use a wrench, but only to make the fitting a bit more snug than you could with your hands. You don't crank the fitting down.
