Check and make sure the amp meter has the shunt resistor (it will NOT be that 3.9k, it will be close to zero ohms). This resistor often just looks like a little metal plate or wire screwed across the ammeter terminals, like it was shorting it out. Start it off with a low current (like a milliamp) if you are unsure, because if you bang the needle you can wreck it. The ammeter goes in series with the load.
That 3.9k resistor is probably a voltage dropping resistor for the voltmeter. The voltmeter goes across the load. Try a low voltage first, and see how it responds.