Macbook Air Battery Issue (shutting down and no indicator displayed)

[htg]

So let me provide a bit background, I but I think I'm screwed. About six months ago, I spilled a glass of water on my MacBook Air. I let it dry out completely, but it still wouldn't work without being plugged in. I took it in to get a new battery, and that let it run as normal (without being plugged in) up till today (even though it said the battery needed servicing). Now, it crashes intermittently, and immediately when not plugged in, the battery indicator also no longer displays in the menu bar.

I was always slightly worried it would be a ticking time bomb, and apart from being pissed off as the repair guy clearly wasn't sure what the problem was but still charged me for a new battery, I don't know what to do. Is the computer a lost cause? Is it leftover water damage to a cable? Is it a logic board connector? Replace the battery again? I've got some really important work to do in the next week, so I need this sorted.

Thanks in advance!

 

[hobowankenobi]

Hard to say. Liquid damage is tricky.

Immediate damage is obvious, but there can be long term damage from corrosion. A good board-level shop can often clean or repair corrosion; Apple or any other part-swapper (normal tech) usually can't.

As for the symptoms, beyond the battery itself, on most portables, there is the logic board, and an IO board. If the logic board was damaged, I would expect the machine to likely behave the same, plugged in or not...or be randomly unstable, regardless of being pluggged in.

Since it is stable when plugged in, my hunch is the IO board is damaged. It would control charging as well as converting voltages as needed for other components. Just a hunch....but here is a 2015 IO board replacement guide. You can see there there is: logic board, IO board, cable....that's about it.

 

[htg]

Hard to say. Liquid damage is tricky.

Immediate damage is obvious, but there can be long term damage from corrosion. A good board-level shop can often clean or repair corrosion; Apple or any other part-swapper (normal tech) usually can't.

As for the symptoms, beyond the battery itself, on most portables, there is the logic board, and an IO board. If the logic board was damaged, I would expect the machine to likely behave the same, plugged in or not...or be randomly unstable, regardless of being pluggged in.

Since it is stable when plugged in, my hunch is the IO board is damaged. It would control charging as well as converting voltages as needed for other components. Just a hunch....but here is a 2015 IO board replacement guide. You can see there there is: logic board, IO board, cable....that's about it.

To follow up on this, randomly after restarting the indicator started to show again one day. I went ahead and replaced the I/O board anyway, but it still says replace battery now. If I go and install a new battery, what are the chances it will be fine, and what are the chances I'll just have the same problems again in 6 months with the battery no longer working properly? If the I/O board isn't the issue, is it the logic board?