Engine Degreaser, What to cover up? Options

[JoKeRkId613]

My engine area is VERY dirty. There's a lot of dust and grease all over the place and I found a spray can of degreaser in the storage room of my house. The instructions say to spray everything and then turn the car on and leave it on for 10 minutes. It then says to turn it off and spray the whole thing with water to get the stuff off. How effective is the degreasing thing? Will I see a huge difference? My main concern is spraying the whole thing... I don't think I should spray the whole engine compartment. Some parts must be covered up before I spray the thing... What parts must I cover up that shouldn't get sprayed with degreaser and/or water???

ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED :-)

[cmorty]

Some shop detailed my wife's car, and they screwed up the electrical big time! The error codes wouldn't go away for several weeks, and I got tired of having them reset at the parts store so I bought my own code reader. I think it's finally back to normal. I watched those jokers and they sprayed everything with water, and some of the harness connectors got wet (specifically the O2 sensors). Good luck!

What a bunch of morons!!! They must of really soaked the living crap outta your bay in order to do that! This is why I sometimes suggest running your engine when rinsing....the heat from the engine will evaporate a majority of the excess water.

belt dressing? what's that? how do i apply it?

Belt dressing is a type of lubricant used to help condition the belts to the engine, as well as prevent them from dry rotting and cracking or possibly snapping. You can find it at any department store (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, whatever your fancy...) that has an automotive department, or just hit-up your local AutoZone, Advanced Autoparts, Napa, whatever floats your boat. The most popular name brands that make belt dressing : STP & Prestone.

How to apply it: turn your engine on, and spray the belts while they're in motion.

Hope this helps.