Behind the front bumper of a 95 eclipse rs I have a canister that is on the left side if your staring at the cars front. Its about the size of a coffee can. What is it?

 

Evap canister... if your tank ruptures during a collision that can keeps your bum bum from blowing up.

 

You think that little can is gonna keep you from going boom in an accident??? LOL No it's to filter the smell of gas and that interestingly weird scent that the A/C system makes when running. (If it's the can I think you're talking about... It has 3 rubber hoses on it one goes nowhere, one says AC and the other says TANK or something like that?) Basically your gas tank vent runs to it and the activated charcoal in there absorbs the scent so the car doesn't smell like gas when running.

 

I am gooing to have to go with the mechanic on this one, On another site the same question was asked and the response was that it would save your *** in an accident... but sangs answer sounds a bit more; how do you say...reasonable.