I bought a 2004 RX8 SA. Looking for a shop repair manual, the earliest I could find was a 2007 print copy, and a 2009-2012 digital copy.

My question is - what kind of compatibility issue will I face using the 2007 and/or the 2009-12? Should I bother?
I know all the questions I come across will be answered here, but I also like to be self-sufficient.

Also - are the rotor housings interchangeable from front to rear? I have 2 motors that I haven't torn apart, but my fear is that I will open them up and discover each engine has a bad front rotor housing.

Thank you1

 

07 manuals should be fairly compatible with your car, while 09~12 will be much less so as that's for the S2. Yours is an S1.

And yes, front and rear housings are the same.

 

Thank you, thank you very much.

 

there are some differences, but you should steer clear of 2009+ because there are major differences

a service highlights manual was released annually; 2004 -2009, that detail the changes. Most were control system changes trying to improve certain situations, but some mechanical changes too around 2006

you have to be more careful with the electrical manuals because those are very model year specific, especially 2004-2006. There are wiring color changes that won’t match up.