cleaning an engine bay
 

whats the best way to do this painlessly? car has 102k and its grimey, just looks like a little dirt/dust on everything. how do I make it look brand new again?

Get a good degreaser and go to work.

Do not blast it with water, there is alot of sensitive electronics under your hood.

If you do want to rinse your bay after letting some degreaser set on it be sure to cover your electronics up first or it will be a costly clean up...

I tried alot of things to get mine clean found best way was with a rag and a degreaser

actually i have taken a hose to an oldsmobile once i just covered up the alternator and it ran fine but its something i wouldnt want done to my car. degreaser is the way to go just use a bottle of water to rinse it off.

degreaser as in wd40 type stuff?

ya thatll work but there is better stuff out there. just go to your local auto partrs store

Degrease at the carwash, but be careful
 

I may be a certified idiot, but I degreased my wife's 1995 Ford Explorer at the local car wash and it did a beautiful job. I left the ENGINE RUNNING and used the degreaser option which I was careful to spray only on the engine compartment. BE CAREFUL, because I have heard this stuff can damage your paint if you don't get it rinsed well. After the degrease, I switched to clear water to RINSE THOROUGHLY. It looks like a new engine. I did not find any problems doing this, but it was a Ford and not my 1988 Supra.

AutoZone.com | Shopping | Accessories | Product Detail - Greased Lightning 1 gal. High Performance Liquid Cleaner Degreaser

i'll pick this up and get to work. thanks guys:x:

Alot of degreasers say specifically do not apply to a hot/running engine

I have seen cheap degreasers at the dollar stores good brands like Gumout. I use oven cleaner on my diesel benz.