Some people dont like the idea of using Tire Wet on their engine bay because they say all it does is attract dirt. Spray the engine down with a tire cleaner or engine degreaser. Nothing should get damaged, just make sure your distributer cap is in good condition so there's no chance of water entering. I've sprayed down the engines in hundreds of cars where I work, never really had a problem except on old trucks....

Make sure your engine is somewhat cool when doing this...
Spray the engine down with cleaner, spray it off with a hose(not too aggresively). Wipe everything down in the bay to get all that extra stuff clean. After this you may wants to start the engine and let it run to evaporate excess water...

Then spray it down with tire wet or something like that(get one that contains silicone, it is absorbed into plastics better)

The tire shine stuff helps because it keeps all your rubbers soft, and helps keep everything from cracking. After you spray it down let it soak up for a little bit then wipe it down..Leaving a nice shiney engine bay...:thumbup: