In this paper, the research development of equipment remanufacturing technology in the world has been introduced. Besides this, the service condition of heavy duty caterpillar engine and the failure of main parts have also been analysed. In addition, the conception of remanufacturing for engines was discussed and the classification of key technology for remanufacturing was summarized. Based on the analyzing of key part's failure mode and remanufacturing characteristics of heavy duty caterpillar engine, the feasibility of remanufacturing for heavy duty caterpillar engine was analysed. After detailed analysis, it was pointed out that the remanufacture for heavy duty caterpillar engine has its special content and style to normal civil vehicle engine. The application of remanufacture techniques promotes the service life of heavy duty caterpillar engine by using modern surface engineering. Finally, a preliminary criterion was offered to judge whether the remanufacture is a success or not for the heavy duty caterpillar engine, and is beneficial for the building of engine remanufacture criterion systems.