AN MD80 CAPT MAKING A WALKAROUND INSPECTION ACTIVATED THE R HYD SYS. MAINT HAD NOT COMPLETED NOSE GEAR STEERING WORK. R HYD SYS LOST PRESSURE AND QUANTITY. NO WARNINGS ON SWITCHES.

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AS A RESERVE PLT; I WAS CALLED OUT AT XA00 FOR AN XC00 DH (DEADHEAD) FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ. MY FO AND I WERE TO FLY ZZZ TO ZZZ2. AT XB55 I CALLED THE CREW DESK TO TELL THEM MY FO WAS NOT ON BOARD. THE FLT LEFT ON TIME WITHOUT MY FO AND ARRIVED ON TIME; IN ZZZ. I THEN RECEIVED A VOICE MAIL INFORMING ME MY FO WOULD BE ON THE XD30 FLT. I ARRIVED AT GATE AT ABOUT XD45 FOR A POSTED XE45 DEP. AFTER GETTING MY PAPERWORK; I PROCEEDED TO THE AIRPLANE. THE AGENT LET ME DOWN THE JETWAY AND I NOTICED THE JETWAY WAS PULLED AWAY FROM THE ACFT. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A STANDARD SECURITY PROC AND MADE THE SHORT HOP ON TO THE ACFT AND CALLED OPS TO MOVE THE JETWAY CLOSER. AS I START TO SETUP MY THINGS I THOUGHT I WOULD HELP OUT MY DELAYED FO BY TAKING CARE OF THE WALKAROUND. AFTER ESTABLISHING THE BLEED AIR FOR AIR-CONDITIONING; I TURNED ON THE HYDS TO PROCEED OUTSIDE. I GATHERED MY FLASHLIGHT AND EAR PLUGS AND VERIFIED THE PARKING BRAKE. JUST THEN I NOTICED THE R HYD FLUID WAS SHOWING ZERO QUANTITY. I TURNED OFF THE PUMPS AND CALLED MAINT. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE AWARE OF THE HYD PROB AND THEY INFORMED ME NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING; THAT THEY WERE WORKING ON THE HYDS. THIS CALL CAME TOO LATE UNFORTUNATELY. IT TURNS OUT THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR WAS PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED AND I HAD PUMPED ALL THE R SIDE HYD FLUID OUT ON THE RAMP BY TURNING ON THE PUMP. FORTUNATELY; NO ONE WAS HURT. I SHOULD HAVE QUERIED MAINT WHEN I DID NOT SEE THE LOGBOOK ON BOARD. I WAS SPRING LOADED TO HELP THE AIRPLANE LEAVE CLOSER TO ON TIME. HAD I NOT ATTEMPTED THE FO'S JOB; THIS PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. ALSO; IF I HAD VERIFIED THE STATUS OF THE AIRWORTHINESS OF THE AIRPLANE; THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE WERE NO SWITCH GUARDS ON THE HYD PUMPS SWITCHES. THAT TOO COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE INCIDENT.