Jerome,
Whirlpool direct-drive and Maytag, the pump essentially is the same function. One pumping chamber, think of it as U-shaped. The tub outlet hose connects to one end of the U. The drain hose connects to the other end. The Maytag pump is a little different shape but it functions the same. Water flows from the tub outlet into the pump. The impeller is driven either clockwise or counterclockwise accordingly to which direction the motor is running ... agitate direction or spin direction. There's no way to disengage the pump from running whenever the motor runs on either type of machine. Agitate direction the impeller pushes the water back up into the tub. Spin direction it pushes the water out through the drain hose. Air can be pulled through the drain hose in the agitation direction and generate a cavitation noise, along with the impeller pushing the water up into the tub. Whirlpool had a rubber flapper valve on the pump outlet port for some models (KitchenAid for example) that closed it against sucking air to lessen the noise.
