Chosen Solution
I purchased a battery from iFixit in March 2022 for my Macbook Air 2017 i5. I installed it, and at first it was working great. Then about 1 month ago, the system stopped recognizing the battery. When I unplug the power adapter, the computer goes into some kind of sleep or hibernate mode.CoconutBattery says it doesn’t even see any battery. See https://imgur.com/a/MhSTYXeOddly enough, I think the battery is actually charging, and sort of being used. When I plug in the power adapter, it shows green for a moment then goes steady on orange. And when I unplug the magsafe power adapter, I can hear the fan continue to run as it shuts down to sleep/hibernate mode. And of course, when I plug it back in and press the power button, it takes a few moments to revive back to the original run state. Another strange symptom, is that the system runs VERY slow. I’ve read elsewhere that a problem with a battery might cause a slower system. I’ve tried the oft-recommended software PRAM and SMC reset through shut-down and using various key-presses. I’ve tried a hardware SMC reset by removing the battery and holding the power button for over 20 seconds. None of those worked. Of course, that also involved re-seating the battery. I’ve inspected the top of the logic board (without removing it) with a magnifier, no apparent discoloration or charring. No odd smell on the logic board either. I’ve opened up a ticket with iFixit.com, but I figured I’d post here as well.
So ifixit sent me another battery, and it works! Just to test, I put the other battery back in, the system didn’t see it, as before. Put the new battery in again, and it recognizes it. So it seems to have been the battery. And the system is running quickly again. Yay! Also, thank you ifixit.com for great customer service. Still, it was a very strange problem.
