How do I shut off an RX-8?
This somewhat ridiculous question keeps popping up recently. Other than the obvious "turn the key counter clockwise and remove",there is literally nothing special that you have to do. You will find people that insist that I am wrong in making this statement, but no, it is just that they are taking one symptom and extrapolating preventative measures even further off base than they already were. For example, you will find people that swear by reving the engine to 4,000rpm in neutral and cutting the key out there, with the revs up. They are doing this under the assumption that the faster spinning rotors will help sweep excess fuel out of the rotor housing, to prevent a flood. The problem with this idea is already explained in the Flooding section above. If your engine is already warm, there is no excess fuel being dumped in! (Except perhaps the fuel needed to rev to 4,000rpm). Shutting it off at 4,000rpm is no different in terms of fuel than shutting it off at 750rpm. If your engine is currently cold, then this could only POSSIBLY have an impact if your ignition or starter or battery is failing, in which case 'yes', it might help prevent a flood. But a flood is a symptom of another issue anyway, and only happens on START, not on SHUTDOWN.