Mark, I suggest you delve deeper. The fact that you say they drain water out of the bottom almost immediately makes me wonder if the water is just going around the root ball and not really penetrating.

The leaves turning yellow could even be a sign of overwatering.

With your original method, you say the soil got a little dry between waterings, but this is just what is recommended for citrus. They don't like to be continuously wet.

I think it would be helpful to remove the trees from the pots briefly, trying not to disturb the roots too much, and try to see what the soil is like in there. Is it dry as a bone in the center? Is it soggy wet? Are the roots white and healthy or brown and dead? Sniff it for rotten smells. Then you'll have more data to go on.

Let us know what you find!

Also the fact that the water is draining so quickly could mean that there is already too much water in the soil to begin with....

The way they were watering is the worst for any plant!!

Other than this, fofoca has what you needed to hear.

Always check the roots first before you do anything to make sure that they are healthy. That will take a HUGE amount of guess work out of solving your problem...:-)

Welcome by the way!It is always a pleasure to someone here...You will learn so much here from so many kind hearted people!