My washer recently began leaking. Being the self confident person I am, I was sure that there were leaking seals so I tore the washer apart, got the parts and replaced the seals. Well the washer still leaks. Turns out the tub is spinning in one direction really fast during agitation, the water builds up around the edges until it leaks out the top.
I confirmed my suspicions by putting a little drag on the tub during the wash cycle, and the tub slows down and does not leak.
How can I keep my tub from spinning during the wash cycle?
Usually when this happens it means the transmission has failed, but it may also be a brake problem. The transmission could have failed due to the leak, but before you scrap it check out the brakes. If they are not engaging the machine will spin during the agitation cycle.
Thank you for your response. I probably was not clear in my initial post, but I believe that the problem from the beginning was not a leak in the tub, but the water leaking due to it spinning out over the top of the tub. I think it is likely something to do with the brakes, but I wonder if there is a way to be sure before I tear it apart again to replace the pads. I hope/goal is it is a simple as that.
Ok, here is a bit more info. I moved the belt by hand which drives the tub and agitator to see what would happen. When The belt drives the pulley clockwise, the pulley raises slightly and the agitator and tub both spin clockwise. When I drive the pulley counter clockwise, the pulley drops slightly and neither the tub or the agitator move. Hope this helps to pick between the transmission and the brakes.
Ok, here is a bit more data. Just watched a cycle of wash and spin. During the wash cycle, the motor drives the belt to turn the pulley counter clockwise. At the very beginning, the agitator moves both directions, and the tub does but quickly just is moving counter clockwise. Once this gets going (which is pretty quickly, a few seconds) the agitator moves counter clockwise and stops spinning, then counter clockwise then stops, etc. If the water is too high, or the spinning gets too fast (like with towels) then water is driven up the sides and out. But if the water level is low enough then it does not leak.
During the drain/spin cycle, the pulley is driven clockwise (and the pulley goes up a bit at the beginning), and the agitator and tub spin clockwise.
Hope this helps diagnose between a brake problem and a transmission problem. I am thinking the brakes personally.
Hard to tell without being there, but I agree it is likely the brakes that are the issue. Remove and reinstall, checking the parts and see if that fixes things.
The brakes did the job, I am very pleased.
Now I have a follow up question. I see the brake pads rocking slightly between the supports as the agitator goes back and forth. The tub moves only ever so slightly. When I installed the pads, I did tighten them until it was rather snug, but did not torque them at all. Should I be concerned about this movement?
I am going to say it is probably ok, but keep an eye on things every now and then.
Good luck, glad the brakes were the issue and not something more serious.
Thanks. I did take the pads out an put silicone grease on them per the instructions, I had originally omitted that step by mistake. I also tightened them extra tight, so I can’t really do any more here. Case closed. 
Sounds good. As long as there is no abnormal noise during agitation and the tub is not spinning you should be fine.
thank you for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated. While the work on repairing a washing machine is not very difficult, knowing if you are doing it right has a high anxiety factor that goes with it. I am glad I got it right now.
You are welcome, and the repairs you did on this machine are difficult and the fact that you did them speaks highly of your skills.