since revisiting an old thread is the cool thing to do, I'll throw in my 2cents of tips that I've gathered from detailing cars for 6years.
1. I use plastic bags then cover the plastic bag in foil on the alternator, and distributor.
1a- Use a spray bottle or hose on mist to dampen everything
2. Once the engine is WARM, not HOT.... I use Simple Green
3. Scrub down troublesome engine parts (anything unpainted metal) with 00 Steel Wool
4. Everything else is hit with a microfiber to loosen grime
4a- Let it sit until Cool, usually 20-30 minutes while I vacuum the interior
5. Rinse with hose and sprayer on medium, or shower. Hit the tough spots with the Jet setting.
6. Repeat 2-4 as needed
7. Hit the hoses with Meguiar's Natural Shine rubber stuff (not a huge fan of overly shined bays), hit the plastic with Meguiar's Exterior Trim coating (also awesome on mudflaps, ect)
8. Hit all the painted metal with a cleaner wax, like Meguiar's, then some wax (I use NXT)
Thats all I got for now.