Errr......
NO
I've won plenty of car shows, lets do this the proper way.
Go to your auto parts store, find 2 cans of
STEAM Excellent stuff!
Castrol Wheel Cleaner, Simple Green, Mothers Back to Black, Any cheap tire spray
Alright, Read the directions on the steam bottle, basically it states, Warm up your car for 15mintues get it to operating temparture.
Then you spray the entire engine with that stuff. Its safe on connections and what not, dont' worry. Spray it everywhere until you use both of those cans. From top to bottle,
tranny pan too!
As the directions say, wait for 5-8 mins, then rinse with water, all you need to do is turn on the hose and gently rinse the motor, be careful of the intake. until everything is cleane doff.
Now you need some towls, try to dry off key areas.
Alright, now you will need some steel whool. Use it to clean off the battery ends, and the Alt. But first, spray the Castrol Tire cleaner on the Alt. You'll be amazed how well it will clean the Alt. You can also use it on the front part of the engine. Its made up of the same type of metal. Steel whool the Alt, you should get a nice new look color from it.
Simple Green for all those other areas, a lil mag polish on the fuel rail.
Back To Black works great on all the black plastic parts in the engine bay.
The tire cleaner, cheapo spray, spray it on your hoses and watch them shine.
This is how I do it for car shows anyways. Usually with good results.
how to clean engine compartment? 
