Inconsistent charging of 2017 MBP 13" (A1708)

Question

I own a 2017 MBP 13" (A1708) with the battery replaced about 6 weeks ago. Everything went nicely until this week, when it started charging inconsistently and coconutBattery shows 5-10W of charging. I plug the charger and it says "battery doesn't charge". Sometimes reconnecting the charger helps, sometimes not; the same is true about waiting some time. I've reset SMC couple time but it usually doesn't help. I’ve attached of screenshot showing coconutBattery output.

Also I’ve ordered a new charger and cable.

Answer 1

This one's probably going to come down to trial and error.

Potentially coconutBattery is providing incorrect information, so pay attention to the actual system behavior -- is it draining too quickly? Taking too long to charge? etc.

1. First see what shows up under System Information under the "Power" section. Specifically look at if things are charging and what the Wattage of the power adapter is. That info can tell you if things appear to be working right, but coconutBattery is misreporting.
2. If you have access to another charger, try that out. Look on the adapter if it's a replacement and make sure it's 61W or more.
3. If that doesn't work, then there could be a short on the main logic board. If you check out Louis Rossmann he has several videos on charging issues that he's posted. His stuff is entertaining in general but probably not something you'd want to do yourself -- just to understand what might have went wrong. Louis Rossmann Youtube
4. Lastly it's possible the battery that was installed was a bit funky. Lots of reviews on Amazon show that batteries can be great for several months and then just go bad.

Answer 2

Sometimes, your mac will do this to preserve the battery. It learns from your charging habits and will wait to charge past 80% until you need it. for example, if you go to work every day (ok, maybe not right now during covid) at 8 o clock, and have your mac charge the entire night, it will charge to 80 during the night, then at around 7 o clock, finish charging, and by 8, it should be at close to 100%.