Thought I would share this with the group.

The problem: A few months ago our 2 speed Amana washer model AW50
(~2-3 years old) started to throw water out of the tub. At first it
appeared to be a leaking tub (inner tub is stainless, outer is steel)
as there was a bead of rust on the lower flange of the outer tub. I
called at least six "repair" people in my area, including two listed
on the Amana site as "authorized repair centers" and no one would help
me out...ok DIY to the rescue, besides if you want something done
right ... after removing the front cover it was apparent that the belt
was nearly shot. There was also a lot of black dust and debris in the
bottom of the unit. Closer inspection revealed that the three brakes
were broken. Apparently what was happening, especially on large loads
was the agitation wouldn't agitate - just surge in one direction,
eventually causing the water to be thrown out of the top of the tub.

The fix: disconnect the power, remove front cover, open the top
cover, disconnect water fill hose, disconnect water drain hose from
pump, disconnect water level hose (small clear tubing on back of tub),
disconnect wiring harness from top of motor housing, disconnect six
large springs from tub base, remove entire tub, invert, replace three
brakes and six screws, remove three pump screws (required #25 torx
driver which I didn't have, but do now), remove idler spring, replace
belt, then put it all back together. Hardest part of the whole job
was hooking the six large springs back up to the tub but I used a
hooked tool that worked slick.

Tools required:
Slotted screw driver
3/8 socket on 3/8 driver
#25 Torx driver
Pliers

Total cost of the repair:
belt from local appliance repair shop: $6.00
set of 3 brakes (6 screws included): $11.00

Total time investment (not including time wasted trying to get a
"professional"):
diagnosing: ~15 minutes
getting parts: ~15 minutes
disassembly: ~15 minutes
reassembly: ~15 minutes

One hour and $17 bucks...hope this is able to help someone else.

Regards,
R. M. Libby