I have a Maytag "commercial technology" top loading clothes washer.

It recently developed the following problem:

1) It starts agitating like crazy as soon as the fill cycle begins
2) Agitation is clearly excessive and very noisy
3) When so agitating, it throws water around so much that it splashes
out of the tub and leaks arouns the entire machine onto the floor.

Would anyone have a good guess regarding this problem and what it
could be?