Originally Posted by Mario
I'm not responsible if you mess anything up. I cover up my air filter and the distributor only with bathroom trash bags. On a cool engine I rinsed the engine bay (nothing high pressured... just used my thumb on the end of a regular hose) and got the engine wet. Took a whole can of GUNK Foamy Engine Brite and sprayed the whole engine from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny, and just kept spraying over and over until the whole can was ALMOST gone. I would avoid spraying the alternator, spark plugs, and any wiring directly. Wait about 10-15 minutes, and rinse the engine just like you did the first time. Now I went on a search to find anything that didn't clean up... grabbed a toothbrush, spray some engine cleaner on it, and hand scrubbed the dirty parts. Now take a can of Armor All Tire Foam, and do a light coating on the engine bay... the heavier the coat, the shinier it will be. I used maybe 1/6 to 1/8 of the can... after you've done a light spray on the stuff, close the hood and let the car idle for about 10 minutes. Grab an old rag, and wipe everything down and it should look pretty good.
instead of armorall use WD-40 or a can of lemon pledge if you want something that doesn't smell like ass. WD will displace water and dry and wont allow dirty to stick to it. Same with lemon pledge. Also it works better if the engine is warm, but not hot! run the engine for maybe 2-3mins and then wait a few minutes. Lastly you can use aluminum foil to cover the electrical parts. It conforms and shapes better than plastic bags.