Thanks for the steps..I am sure the time consumption is well worth it

 

and a popsicle stick for that **** that just doesnt wanna come off..lol even if you just clean the front cover and the spark plug side makes a world off differance.. not to say it looks good but it deffinatly keeps your hands clean later down the line. i cleaned my bay throughly in 08 and and quick touch up the other day.

 

I have to say, in the 5 years i owned a running (daily) FC, i have never had an issue from washing the engine bay at a car wash (oftentimes on a whim after a long drive). I would only EVER cover the cone filter with a used shopping back. Then the entire bay would get doused in 'wheel' cleaner (a setting at the car wash's machine) let it set while I then proceeded to hose off the rest of the car, then when I was done with the rest of the car I would pressure wash the engine bay to get all the 'cleaner' off the engine and other parts then id shut the hood and make a spirited run back to the house to 'steam' the engine bay with whatever water was left.

In the 5 years I would do that (at least once a month, sometimes once a week during the summer to keep pollen and dust out of the bay) I never once had anything fail to work. Though to be fair I had no emissions, no ac, and no ps to deal with.

You really want a clean engine bay? start by first removing the engine/radiator and then get in there and scrub everything to get 20 years of prior owners neglect washed away. You'd be amazed what you cant get to with the engine in place, and what a difference it makes to clean things without fear of busting a knuckle.

That reminds me, ive gotta refill my spray bottles with degreaser so I can prep the new toy's bay for heavy cleaning.

 

tape up all sensors and plugs. spray simple green all over and start scrubbing!

 

I was thinking something along the lines of that.. I was thinking of putting plastic bags around the plugs and then taping it and then spraying some sort of cleaner and spraying it down.

 

your going to have a hard time getting any of that to stick to a dirty engine

 

hence the plastic bag first and the tape of the plastic bag. Tape sticks to plastic bags pretty well. i think it should work lol

 

wait until you tried it, wrapping things in plastic bags is a little more involved then it sounds, about halfway through the 2nd or 3rd thing you will say **** it and get everything wet

try some foil if anything, at least it can just crunch onto itself