First, let your car run for 3-5 minutes, just to let it warm up like I did above.
Taking the advice from a friend on Ranger-Forums, I put plastic bags over the battery and over the fuse box once the truck was completely shut off. Is this necessary? Maybe not, but I'd rather be on the safe-side.
From there, I grabbed a magical substance called Purple Power, a degreaser that removes a mixture of earth and water, what some call gunk.
After drenching my engine in as much degreaser as possible, I let it sit for a few minutes letting it do its work. It is a very strong substance and you don't want to get it on your skin and definitely not in any orifice of your body.
If you don't own a power washer, your best bet is a garden hose with a nozzle at the end. Spray the entire engine down with water after the degreaser has soaked for a few minutes. Make sure to wash away all of it and that none dries on the paint.
I decided to use the blower effect since I didn't feel like getting the air compressor out. As soon as I wised-up and realized it wasn't doing any good, I switched over to drying the engine with a towel. ( which actually worked out better because I was able to scrub with the towel)
After the engine was all dry, I realized that my engine was still not completely clean. So I got my second favorite car-cleaner: Turtle Trim Restorer. I usually use it for my bumper and mirrors but I figured I'd give it a shot. (Turtle also makes an excellent wax for detailing your car)
Although I wasn't able to get every nook and cranny, I was surprised at how well the Trim Restorer worked. It exceeded my expectations to say the least.
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