I talked about this subject about a month ago and it became really apparent not many people knew they could or were simply afraid to clean their motors/engine compartment.
I have done so for years and got over my fear after talking with a handful of detailers, but to note many of them do not offer the service to their customers, just in case they did break something. #liability
But here are the steps I take to keep my motor looking great for car meets and shows. It is very basic, but gets the job done in a safe manner.
But the real question is, how many of you actually care, or clean your engines? In the grand scheme of things, once cleaned, you really only need to wipe things down to upkeep it.