Go to one of the self-serve car washes. Take trash bags and bag up the distributor, carb and valve cover vents (and anything else that would let water into the engine), and have at it with the hot, soapy water. A more expensive way is to find/rent and pressure washer and use that. Engine degreaser is also helpful. Spray on before using the car wash/pressure washer. Dry off any puddled water. That should give you a good start. Yo can use carb cleaner or engine degreaser on particularly bad spots, later. Hope that helps.
If you do the car wash thing, make sure you do it when the motor is at a normal operating temp. That way if anything important gets wet it`ll dry itself out rather quickly cause of the heat in the engine bay.
If you do the car wash thing, make sure you do it when the motor is at a normal operating temp. That way if anything important gets wet it`ll dry itself out rather quickly cause of the heat in the engine bay.
I would also recommend protection for the MSD ignition, if you have one. I cooked my 6AL by cleaning the engine. It started right up and ran about 3 seconds before the MSD fried.
Wow, some of these options seem a little aggressive. Depending on what you are trying to clean I would start with something milder.
Dawn dish detergent works very well at removing light grease and dirt and is pretty mild.
Simple Green would be the next step up and works well as a degreaser.
Up from that would be spot cleaning with acetone or mineral spirits.
Next in my list would be an automotive degreaser like Gunk Engine Brite.
A few things to consider before attempting any of these cleaning methods is what material you have under the hood. Some of the cleaners are mild enough to use on steel AND aluminum, but some are too aggressive and may pit or oxidize aluminum. Much like detailing a car, try to start with the least aggressive method first and move up from there if needed.