Hello Ray

On many meters, gunk and filings or dirt can get in the way inside the magnetic structure to prevent the meter movement from moving. A non metallic tool can be used to fix such things but it is difficult and somewhat tedious if the particles happen to be metal as they tend to bind in the magnetic field there. Paint flecks are another problem. Warped meter face or bent needles can cause a problem. If the meter is hermetically sealed usually all bets are off if you cannot open it easily. At my age I would hesitate to try to fix a meter as my hands are a bit shaky and that can spell disaster in such a tight space with such delicate components in very close proximity. The springs on the front and back of the meter assy that control the pointer are very easily damaged. I used to make my own meter faces but now I would not even try at my age!  One thing that may help is to pulse the meter with 5 or 6 ma over a long period of time in hopes that whatever is hindering movement travel gets dislodged. It is a long shot, but I have fixed a few meters that way. Possibly there might be a bad connection that only fixes itself at higher current. Not much to be done in that case. Does the meter internal resistance read OK with a DVM that uses very low current on the ohms scale?

Dave K1WHS