I tried to search to see if this has been covered and couldn't find anything.
I just wanted to let you all know the success I had in cleaning 7 years worth of dirt out of the engine bay of my recently purchased 98 Contour (auto/4 cyl).
with medium pressure i rinsed the entire engine bay and then soaked everything with 409 heavy-duty degreaser. i let it sit for 10 minutes and then hit everything again with 409. after another 5 minutes, i hosed everything off.
the engine bay was starting to show new life. i rinsed the engine bay for approx 10 minutes to make sure i got all the degreaser off.
after the rinse i let it set with the hood open and air dry. 30 minutes later i applied foaming tire cleaner (the kind that comes in an aerosol can) to the entire engine bay, with special attention to all the black plastic/rubber pieces. 5 minutes later i hit everything again with tire cleaner and then let it sit again for another 10 minutes.
after all that the engine bay looked brand new. 8 years later, you could not tell a difference. i showed it to the guy i bought it from and he was simply amazed.
i don't have any pictures right now, but i can try to get some if i remember.
just be careful not to spray too hard around the coil pack and spark plug boots and to let every thing dry before starting the car up!
~adam
