Cleaning engine and engine bay

[AirSpeed]

I painted my truck two years ago but didn't paint under the hood. I have some chrome on the engine but it looks like crap with the brown firewall and grime all over. My engine is fairly clean now, it doesn't leak all over so I want to clean it all up and spray some black on the firwall. What is good to use that won't keep paint from sticking? I've tried different types of engine cleaners but they all seem to leave a film that keeps the paint from sticking. I recently used some Super Clean on another project but that stuff actually removes paint, it works great on oil but i would hate to get any on my paint by accident. I'm not looking for show quality under the hood, I just want to clean it up. Thanks for any suggestions!
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[bobs409]

I would wipe the parts your painting with a paper towel soaked with carb cleaner or brake cleaner. That will remove any oily residue.

By spraying on the paper towel first, you won't harm anything else nearby.

[rsavage]

I use mineral spirits.

[So.Cal.Super]

I always use simple green, its decent on grease but not harsh on rubber. I will follow up with acetone and finish with alcohol, or you can lacquer thinner then alcohol. you also may want to run some 320 or 400 grit over the existing paint to give the new paint a better bite, do this before you final wipe.

[obijuan]

a hot pressure washer.

[airbrushguy]

Ok, maybe environmentally incorrect, but I have built and cleaned cars for 50 years and my list of engine cleaning liquids include gunk foamy and regular to start out with, westley's bleach white for tougher spots, then on spots where there there is caked-on grease etc...use starter fluid. It's great because you can spray it into areas you can't reach easily and it dries quickly and oil-free.
Please don't follow this up with all sorts of warnings and precautions, as I said I've used this on hundreds of cars from oldies to modern computer cars like my Z06. A great way to block areas without getting into too much masking is aluminum foil. Good luck.

Ps:don' let any of the liquid products dry before hosing or pressure washing them off. Starter fluid will take care of itself. And keep the spray off painted areas, it will take your wax off.
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