Bob, since your RV is a 2016 with only 50 hours on the genset, I have to assume you don't use the generator and have never exercised it. I can almost guarantee that the problem you are having now is the need for a new carb because gas has been allowed to sit in it until it has gummed up. If you are a mechanic, you can pull the carb, clean it, replace any parts needed, and put it back together. If not, you'll have to buy a new one, and they're not cheap. If this is a gummed-up gasoline problem, you may also be forced to replace your fuel filter and fuel pump.
When I bought my 2005 Adventurer in 2015, the original owner seldom used the genset and never exercised it, so it showed 69 hours on a ten-year-old unit. I had the same issue you had and took it to Cummins, who told me I needed a new carb. $1,100 later, I had a genset that ran very well.
I won't comment on your original question to the forum regarding whether or not you'll be able to take your trip successfully without the generator. But I want to give you some advice regarding the generator for future use so you don't have the same problem in the future.
If you check your owner's manual, you'll find that routine maintenance is needed at specific periods. Every 150 hours, you need to change the oil, filter, fuel filter, and air filter. Since you haven't reached that time frame yet, you still need to change your oil and oil filter once a year because the oil will degrade over time and lose its viscosity. Every 500 hours, you need to change your spark plug, so you already did this a little prematurely. The owner's manual will not tell you that you also need 1,000-hour maintenance done by a Cummins mechanic that essentially breaks down the engine and replaces anything worn out, such as the drive belt. This has to be done with the genset removed from the RV, and it takes special tools, so it is advised to take the RV to a Cummins facility to have it done. About every 800 hours, you need to change the brushes and clean the slip rings that create the electricity. That also isn't in the owner's manual.
To avoid the problem you currently have, you should exercise the generator at least every month for two hours under at least a 50% load. This can be accomplished easily if you have a/c. Simply turn it on and let it run for a while. I have found that exercising the genset every two weeks for one hour is better than only once a month, but that's because I have easy access to my coach while it is in storage. Some owners don't have that ability, so at the very least, the genset must be exercised monthly to avoid gas turning into lacquer inside the carb. There are other reasons that Cummins suggests this exercise that I won't go into now.
Something else that must be done when the coach is in storage is putting a gasoline preservative in the tank, for the sake of both the generator and your engine. Gasoline in today's world doesn't last as long as it used to; some people will tell you it goes bad after a month. I don't think it's quite that extreme, but I use a large bottle of Sta-Bil for a full tank of gas, and I make sure the tank is full when I put the coach in storage so there is no room in the tank for condensation to form.
I try to take good care of my generator because my wife and I take three to four-month cross-country trips in our coach every year, and we have replaced the original Norcold two-way refrigerator with a 12V dual compressor system, so we have to have 12V power at all times. I have replaced my original group 24 house batteries with group 27s for additional reserve, but even then, we still need those batteries recharged while we're on the road by running the generator. We use our generator while on the road almost all the time because our three large dogs behind us need the coach's a/c running in the summer. The dash a/c isn't enough.
Good luck with your current problem, and I hope you can make your planned trip without the genset. When you return, plan on dropping some money on a new carb. I just spent $2,100 having mine torn down for its 3,000-hour service. It needed a new intake manifold along with a new drive belt. That's still a lot cheaper than having to buy a new unit. If you take good care of these things, they will run for 10,000 hours.
