Ibook G4 late 2004 model charging intermittently-flashes amber then green

Question

Hi there, i have an ibook G4 14 inch late 2004 with mac os x 10.4.11. my previous 45w power cord needed to be jiggled in order to power the laptop (it was pretty damaged). yesterday, it stopped working completely, so i went to the apple store and bought a new 65w power cord. of course, it worked perfectly in the store. when i went home, it seemed to work perfectly until the battery reached about 37%, then it started doing this weird thing. while plugged in, the light on the power cord started flashing, changing from green to amber. it will be green for about 8 seconds, then amber for about 6 seconds.
it does this whether the computer is being used or shut down. while i was using the computer, the battery drained pretty quickly, so i shut it down and left it plugged in overnight. overnight, it seemed to have charged a little bit. the battery says it is 55% charged and, when i open my energy saver on system preferences, it will appear as if it is charging while the power cord light flashes amber, then stops charging when the power cord light flashes green. as i said, it will be amber for about 6 seconds, then green for about 8 seconds.
i tried resetting the PMU, but it did not work (perhaps i did it incorrectly?). i then tried to reset the pmu and the pram via these instructions:
turned computer off.
Make sure the Caps Lock key is not down.
Restart the computer. Immediately after hearing the startup sound, simultaneously press and hold Command-Option-P-R. (If you do not hold down the key combination within 5 to 10 seconds after the computer restarts, you must repeat steps 1-3.)
Hold down the keys until you hear the startup sound again. Then release the keys.
If the computer shuts itself off, press the reset button on the back of the computer to turn it back on.
that didn't work. then i tried to just reset the PMU again (via the support instructions) by turning the computer off, then simultaneously pressing and then releasing Shift-Control-Option-Power on the keyboard. Did not press the fn (Function) key while using this combination of keystrokes.
Waited 5 seconds, then pressed the power button.
that didn't help either.
i have been trying to figure this out but have not been able to thus far. of course, aside from being able to read, i have no computer savvy whatsoever. ANY help would be so appreciated. sorry i typed so much, but since i do not know much about computers, i was unsure what information was most pertinent.
thanks again, SOOOO much, for any help. i would be glad to answer any medical questions as a thank you.
here is the info from the power portion of the system prefs (with the power cord plugged in):
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 20
Dynamic Power Step: No
Reduce Processor Speed: No
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Dynamic Power Step: Yes
Reduce Processor Speed: No
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: No
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Battery Information:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 2959
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 1740
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 14916
Cycle Count: 360
AC Charger Information:
AC Charger (Watts): 0
Connected: No
Charging: No
Hardware Configuration:
Clamshell Closed: No
UPS Installed: No

Answer 1

There may be other issues in the computer's hardware, such as the
battery; as it should have about 4,000 (mAh) in full capacity when it
is charged and the one you have appears to be at best, 50% of that.
Also, there is a chance the DC-in Board may be defective or have a
poor internal connection where the AC Adapter plugs into the iBook.
There are some pages at iFixit.com about how to remedy this defect;
and parts are available to repair this, still. (But suspect the battery, 1st.)
I'm looking at the charging information on your log report and wonder if
the battery is the reason why there is a Zero, in that section; or if there
is some DC-in Board reason. Without a known-good battery, it's hard to
tell what else may be going on. Unless you take it to a Genius bar...(?)
• iBook G4 - iFixit guides:
http://www.ifixit.com/Browse/iBook_G4
This appears to be closer to the specific guide page, to include your iBook:
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iBookG4_14%22_933_MHz-1.33GHz
Troubleshooting power related issues in a portable computer can be a
bit tedious as the computers age, and potential sources of the problem
may be at play in there, at the same time.
There also is a matter of calibrating a battery on a routine basis, to be sure
it works correctly and the microchip controller for charging it is working OK.
• Apple Portables: Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490?viewlocale=en_US
The battery is the most likely culprit in the matter of the charge light indicator
changing color from Amber to Green and back again, like that. This is a matter
of troubleshooting, so if you know someone with a healthy iBook G4 battery
(as noted in Profiler's battery or energy information, hi-power/low-use cycles)
you may be able to check the activity without additional purchases.
Be sure to get a replacement battery from a reputable company, as some of
the third-party cheap imports have less battery capacity when new than an
old partially used Apple battery would have. (And flaky warranty, too.)
The battery is the most likely item, at this point. A replacement is suggested.
Good luck & happy computing!