Google saves the day again
As I went downstairs this afternoon to throw some laundry in the washer, I was distressed to find a large quantity of water at the foot of the steps. After doing some diagnosis I found that it was not the sewer backing up again but rather the washer itself that was the source. A quick search of google led me to a tear-down manual for the this particular machine and RepairClinic.com. Apparently the housing of the drain pump is not supposed to have a large gash in the housing where an impeller with a bad bearing had worn through it. If this phenomena does occur, there is a good chance that the washer will spew water all over your floor.
RepairClinic had the part I needed in stock and less than two hours after discovering the water, the washer was doing a fresh load with nothing leaking out. Now if only I could afford to pay myself what a repair tech would have charged to fix the same problem I’d be all set.