Gonna have a go at cleaning my engine bay on the weekend if the weather is promising, but my question is, would it be ok to get a power washer on it before i use start scrubbing and polishing?? its a budget power washer so not gonna rip things off...

I sprayed simple green as a degreaser on most places except the fuel injector area and the distributor cap. I let it sit for 30 minutes then i went out there and had my power washer on like a med. setting. After i was done i took steal wool to the valve cover and injectors and such. Even got some of the tranny. I kept the car running when i did this. I didn't have a problem with anything after doing this.

ok thanks i'll give this a try

If your gonna wash your engine do it when its warm (not hot) and try to avoid getting engine degreaser on the radiator...it wont do it any damage but it can stain it making it look ugly....also dont directly spry things like the dizzy, ignitor and electrical bits n pieces.

^cover those important pieces with a plastic bag or something

i followed advise of another member as quoted by him
Autoglym engine and machine cleaner is good for removing grime (put clingfilm over sensitive electronic bits) once you've done that put some back to black type stuff on the hoses and don't buff off. Then go at the various manifold bits with a drill polisher and finish off with some Meguiars All Metal Polysh - so

nice job, looks good with the blue bits

One suggestion -- avoid the Mother's Back to Black, it has a tendency to turn plastic grey if not regularly re-applied. A rubber/vinyl preservative, such as Meguiar's 40 is a better choice.