Well, since you've already had the cover off, try this.
Open the meter again and gently try to move the needle back toward zero with a
fingertip or a toothpick. If it doesn't move freely, or moves but stays in the
position it was moved to, your meter is damaged. Most likely cause is a broken
hairspring or pivot. In either case, the meter is unrepairable by most. The
only course of action is to buy a new tester.
You can, of course, get some small tools and gingerly disassemble the meter to
get at the innards, but if the meter is damaged as I described, you're just
chasing a rainbow.

If the meter needle does move freely but just returns to mid scale, you might be
able to remedy that. Open the meter and remove the screws that hold the meter's
mechanism in the housing. You might have to fiddle with the wires that connect
the meter mechanism to the terminals on the rear of the housing. Keep them out
of the way, or at least keep the strain off those wires because they attach to a
delicate mechanism. On the rear of the movement is another pivot adjustment,
normally where one of the connecting wires is soldered. Gently move this pivot
arm and see if the needle responds. If so, see if there is enough range in
movement to return the needle to normal zero position. If so, you're home free.
If not, you're back to square one, looking for a new tester.


--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time!!
"Mike Muderick" wrote in message
news:KW2Mf.5967$pE4.4446@trnddc04...
Tried all of the above. There is no zero-adjust screw. Took the plastic
cover off to try and discharge any static electicity. Nothing is bent-
meter wasn't dropped- It just won't go back to zero.
mm


"Reinhard Zwirner" wrote in message
...
Mike Muderick schrieb:

I have a battery tester meter (Mallory) that came from a retail store.
The
meter is magnetized and now sits center scale, instead of over to the
left.
Any solutions to return it to it's normal state. I tried reverse
polarity-
it goes to the left, but then returns to center.

I've seen such an effect when the transparent plastic cover of the scale
has
been wiped intensively for cleaning purposes generating electrostatic
charge.
Try to breathe on the plastik to discharge it.

HTH

Reinhard