Started to leak from clear (OVERFLOW) TUBE in backside of washer what could be the cause?

Geo,

The answer to your question is most definitely NOT what you want to hear, but I'll go ahead and deliver the bad news... (don't hate the messenger, OK?)

The transmission is shot. There, I said it.

Here's what is going on... See? When the washer fills and begins to agitate, the inner tub (where the clothes are) is supposed to "lock". The only thing that's supposed to actually move in there is the agitator. OK... now when the washer advances to "spin mode", the tranny switches gears (think of it like going from "drive" to "reverse") and the inner tub unlocks and is spun up by the tranny.

Your inner tub is not being locked by the transmission when it's in "agitate". When this happens, the inner tub begins to rotate with every stroke of the agitator (the thing in the middle of the tub). So, the tub continues to rotate... faster and faster, until the water in the tub rises because of centrifugal force. Eventually, the water rises high enough to overflow... that's where your overflow tube (and the leak you see) comes into play.

OK, Geo... there's good news if your washer is less than 5 years old. Can you believe it? Good news! The transmission is covered by a 5 year warranty. Yeahhh! Don't worry if you don't have you original paperwork for it. You don't need it. All you'll need to do is copy the exact model and serial numbers down (<-- they're located above and behind the control panel on a white sticker) and holler at GE (1-800-GE-CARES). Give 'em the M# and S# and they'll be able to tell if it's covered or not. Just tell 'em that you had an appliance repair company diagnose you machine with a "failed transmission" and you need to schedule a service guy to come replace it.

If it more than 5 years old, you ask? Well my friend... you are the proud owner of a very large boat anchor cuase that's all it worth right now. The reason being is that a transmission replacement (if you hire it done) would cost far more than the washer is actually worth. Obviously, it's possible to replace on your own... but I would NOT recommend it unless you are very very comfortable with tolls and have many of them accessible to you. The transmission itself would set you back about ~$140.00 (which is more than you'd spend on a good used Whirlpool washer from craigslist or classified ads).

So there ya go. I hope that the information/news I gave you was enough for you to decide which direction to go from here. If it was, please rate my solution here as "It solved my problem". Thanks for using FixYa!

SG